The Chronicles
by DayDreamer-BleachLover
Summary: Revisit Jyuushiro & Shunsui in their younger days prequel to the Ryuukin , UkitakeXOC, NOT Yaoi!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** Bleach is property of Tite Kubo

**A/N:** this fic is a prequel to my story the Ryuukin…though you don't need to have read it to read this. For the moment, it will be largely based around Jyuushiro and Shunsui and their Academy days with my apparently much loved OC Kimiko…it's a short beginning, but chapters will be long, I promise…you all have permission to poke me if they aren't.

**A/N2:** big thanks goes to Ms. Dragon, who encouraged me and demanded that I write this, as well as helped me name it.

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The Chronicles

PROLOGUE

Perhaps it was fate, if you believe in such things; but whether it was predestined or not, no one could have foreseen that three such different, such powerful and promising souls would be born in such a short span of the never-ending phenomenon known as time.

First came the summer-born Shunsui of the powerful Kyouraku-ke. Born on a scorching day while winds raged; death followed behind him in the form of a stillborn twin brother.

Next, in the freezing winter of the same year, came Jyuushiro, born the first child of the once far more prominent Ukitake-ke. He entered the world to the sound of thunder crashing and to lightning striking the churning waves of the garden pond; death hovered over him, as was seen when the first drops of blood fell from his lips to taint the pure white snow only a year later.

Finally, in autumn of the next year, came Kimiko. Conceived of a king and a servant, death preceded her when she was born into the bloodbath of a Rukongai war. Her powerful royal ancestry showed prominently in the reiatsu that startled the district's civil war into an abrupt end as the dawning sun blinded the blood soaked fighters and light rain turned to icy sleet while the ground trembled.

So whether it was fate or not, three powerful souls were born; and whether it was destined or not, these three souls formed bonds that would last their lifetimes and make them an unstoppable force when they stood together on a battlefield.

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**A/N:** reviews appreciated…please review?


	2. Part One, Shunsui

**Disclaimer applies…**

**A/N:** Okay, this is a poor excuse for a chapter, it's shorter than I intended…but I just couldn't seem to come up with anything really good for the early years of Shunsui's childhood…it will get better…big thanks again to Ms. Dragon for saving my brain *wink*

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PART ONE – EARLY YEARS

EARLY CHILDHOOD

SHUNSUI

From the day he was born, Kyouraku Shunsui was spoiled.

The second son and youngest of the six children of the current Head of the Kyouraku-ke, he wanted for nothing.

If he wasn't being given attention, he found a way to attract attention, mastering the charming grin when he was still crawling on all fours.

Even the servants doted on him, so it was no surprise really, that he grew up lazy.

Much to his great disappointment though, the only people he never seemed able to charm were his big brother and his father.

* * *

"Tou-sama, Nii-sama," six-year-old Shunsui ran over to his brother and father when he spotted them entering the garden.

He stopped and grinned his best grin up at them. "Will you play with me today?"

"Not today Shunsui," Kyouraku Shunshou patted his younger son's head in an apathetic manner. "I'm training your brother today."

Shunsui pouted, it was the same old story. Shunshou was always training Ryuuronin when Shunsui wanted his attention.

"Perhaps tomorrow then?" Shunsui perked up.

"Perhaps," Shunshou nodded distractedly.

"Shun-kun," Chouko, only three years his senior, ran up to him. "Play with me," she smiled. "We'll chase the falling blossoms."

Shunsui nodded naively, grinning as he took her hand and followed her.

The next day, Shunsui received the same answer, like all the days before that and soon enough, he found he didn't want to expend the effort anymore.

* * *

A YEAR LATER

"What are you doing back there?" Shunsui questioned as Mei played with his hair.

"Nothing much," he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Nee-chan," Shunsui pouted and whined.

"It's okay Shun-kun, the girls will love it,"

Shunsui rolled his eyes.

"Why would I want the girls to love it?" he complained. "Girls are disgusting."

His sister hit him over the back of the head.

"Itai!" he cradled the back of it, fighting the sting of tears in his eyes as he cowered away from his sister. "What was that for?" he mewled.

"For being an ass. That's no way to speak about a female. Did you forget that Chouko, Hana-nee, Kaori-nee and I are the ones that keep you company all the time? Not to mention Kaa-sama used to be a girl!" Mei ranted. "You'll never get a wife if that's how you speak to people."

"I'm only seven. Besides I don't ever want a wife," Shunsui made a face.

"You don't have a choice in the matter," Mei retorted. "You're the youngest son, your job is the same as the daughters of the family. You find a ranked wife who can bring more money and prestige to the family. The nobler the better."

"If we get any more noble we'll be as stuffed as a peacock," Shunsui groused. "Tou-sama would be even more unpleasant, I swear he already has a cane or something shoved up his noble backside."

"Shunsui, that's rude!" Mei slapped him again but he dodged away and poked his tongue out at her.

"Get back here you little brat. You should never speak so disrespectfully about your elders."

"I'll never be respectful to someone who hasn't earned it," Shunsui shot back and ran from the room, Mei hot on his trail.

Darting around a corner, Shunsui spotted a servant's daughter who was about his age and moved over to her.

Remembering what his sister had said, Shunsui pasted on his most charming grin and called out to her to get her attention.

"Biki-chan*," he waved at her and chuckled when she looked up and blushed. "How would you feel about hiding me, biki-chan? I've angered nee-chan a wee bit and am in need of a good hiding place."

The girl cringed at the sound of Mei calling him angrily.

"I wont hurt you," Shunsui soothed her. "A beautiful maiden such as yourself is too precious to be harmed."

The girl blushed again and glanced down in embarrassment as she held out her hand for him.

His grin broadened.

"Arigato, biki-chan," he said sweetly as she pulled him along with her at a run. "Do you have a name?"

"Chou," the girl chirped.

"Butterfly?" Shunsui grinned. "What a cute name, kawaii butterfly-chan. One of my sisters is Chou~ko."

Chou nodded. "I know. And if you want to be hidden, you need to be quiet."

Despite this, she was blushing vividly as she dragged him through the house and somehow managed to squeeze them both into a space she made by lifting a section of the floor out.

"Fascinating," Shunsui muttered, wide-eyed.

They hid there until they had heard Mei storm by, searching all the rooms.

Of all his sisters, hers was the most frightening temper.

After climbing back out, Shunsui snuck to the shoji and pulled it back slightly, quietly pulling it back and peering out.

The coast was clear.

He turned back to her and grinned.

"Will I see you around, kawaii butterfly-chan?"

She blushed once again and nodded, glancing away in embarrassment.

"Arigato," he said charmingly. "For hiding me," he gave her a quick peck on the cheek and slipped from the room.

"So girls like to be teased and complimented," he muttered to himself as he strolled along.

He grinned to himself. "I think I found a new project. Seeing how to please a girl."

He paused when he heard a female moan coming from the room he was passing, followed closely by a very male groan.

It sounded as if they were in pain…and something else…

Shunsui paused for a moment and when he heard the noise again, he decided it couldn't hurt to take a peek.

He regretted it instantly.

He couldn't say exactly what they were doing, but they were naked, and seemed to be suffering from the sweetest kind of pain.

The man had been his father…but the woman certainly hadn't been his mother.

Shunsui gulped.

He didn't know how, but he _knew_ somehow that they shouldn't have been doing what they were doing.

He knew instinctively that his father was being unfaithful…

…he also knew he would never forgive him.

"Found you!"

Shunsui jumped when his sister appeared behind him an hour later.

"Nee-chan," he stuttered.

She frowned at him curiously. "It's okay, my temper has calmed. I'm sure there will be plenty of time in the future to beat etiquette and mannerisms into you."

"Ahh..." Shunsui scratched at the back of his head nervously.

"Has anyone seen your father?" Megumi strode into the room. "I can't seem to find him anywhere and the Elders wish to speak to him."

Shunsui shook his head quickly and gulped, hoping no one noticed how jumpy he was.

"I'm sure he's around," Mei smiled. "Shun-kun, lets go look for him."

Shunsui shook his head again.

Mei and Megumi frowned at him.

"Can't we go play instead?" Shunsui quickly covered himself. "I'm sure tou-sama is just off training Ryuu-nii again, it's all he ever seems to be doing when I show up."

He said it with just enough bitterness that his sister and mother quickly turned sympathetic and coddling.

"I never did let you see what I'd done to your hair," Mei smiled and took his hand dragging him in the direction he presumed there must be a mirror.

Shunsui reached up to touch his hair, having entirely forgotten about it, but instantly growing curious once again.

"Don't touch," Mei snapped. "I want it to be a surprise," she grinned excitedly and pulled him into the manor and directly to her looking glass.

Shunsui frowned when he spotted the ornaments pinned into his low ponytail.

"Nee-chan, what are they?"

"Pin-wheel hair pins gu*," Mei rolled her eyes.

"They're pink," Shunsui made a face of disgust.

"But pink suits your colouring," his sister pouted.

Shunsui frowned.

"Shunsui, just wear them for now to make your aneki happy," Megumi rolled her eyes, smiling. "I think they suit you as well."

Shunsui sighed heavily, giving in. "Just this once," he conceded.

Mei squealed excitedly. "We need to show everyone then," she grabbed hold of her little brother's elbow, tightly, and dragged him along.

"Hana-nee and Kaori-nee will both want to see, they're visiting with Obaa-sama which is terrific because Obaa-sama will _love_ to see this as well. Chouko-chan has lessons now, right kaa-sama?"

"Hai," Megumi nodded, following behind them with a slight smile on her lips as she watched her son trying to break free of his sister's grasp.

"She wont mind if we interrupt for a moment," Mei grinned. "Who do you want to show first ototo*?"

Shunsui gulped at the threat in her voice, wondering why his sister was so strong and how he had gotten himself into such a situation...

* * *

The following day, returning to the same place he had come across his father, though at a different time, Shunsui discovered his father again, this time with a different woman.

Somehow he had soon became sickly fascinated by what his father was doing with those women.

That didn't prevent him from glaring murderously at Shunshou whenever he came across the man who only ever showed any interest in his eldest son.

Shunshou never noticed.

**

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A/N:** please drop a review…

*Biki = beautiful maiden

*Gu = silly

*Ototo = I believe this means little brother


	3. Part One, Jyuushiro

**Disclaimer applies…**

**A/N:** make sure to REREAD the last chapter if this isn't your first time reading this fic; I did some fixing and adding…I also promise that, while this chapter is another short one, the word count and length of chapters with increase as I get further into the tale…

PART ONE – EARLY YEARS

EARLY CHILDHOOD

JYUUSHIRO

The day Ukitake Jyuushiro, just barely a year old, had his first attack, there was mass panic among the Ukitake Clan.

Everyone was in hysterics as their heir began coughing up blood.

The following years saw Jyuushiro being coddled, overprotected and hidden away from others as they had physician after physician called to Ugendo to try and heal his disease.

Still too young to understand that his life was different from everyone else, it wasn't until he was four and being taken to visit the physician of the Kuchiki-ke that he worked it out.

Having spent his short life kept within the grounds of Ugendo, the majority of the time cooped up inside, Jyuushiro had begun to mature early, spending his days reading and learning. Seeing the world outside Ugendo was a big deal and exciting beyond belief to him.

He hadn't been able to sit still as the old sensei* tried to examine him.

When Washishou and Miyuki, his beloved parents, went in to speak to the sensei alone and Jyuushiro was left with his ninsapu*, it didn't take him long to slip away to explore the new place.

He hadn't been exploring more than five minutes when he came across a boy who couldn't have been much older than him, peering around a corner and looking like he was up to know good.

"What are you doing?" Jyuushiro wondered curiously.

The boy jumped and turned to face him.

He had hair just as black as Jyuushiro's and skin just as pale. His eyes held the shape, slant and grey colouring that Jyuushiro had already become familiar with as a Kuchiki trait.

"I'm playing hide and go seek with my ninsapu. So shush," the Kuchiki boy hushed him.

Jyuushiro frowned at the boy's rudeness, but decided it would probably be best for him and his kaasan and tousan if he chose not to say or do anything that could anger a member of the almighty Kuchiki clan.

He wanted to stay silent, he really did, but he was only four and greatly wished for someone his own age to play with him.

"Does she know you're playing with her?" he settled on asking, his voice as quiet as it could go before the boy wouldn't hear him speak at all.

The Kuchiki glanced back at him, frowning curiously before grinning.

"I think I'm going to like you," he approached Jyuushiro. "What's your name?"

"I'm Ukitake Jyuushiro, what's _your_ name?"

"Kuchiki Michio," Michio grinned. "You can just call me by my given name with no honorifics, I'm not pompous like the rest of my ke."

Jyuushiro opened his mouth to protest but Michio shushed him again.

"You call me Michio and I call you Jyuushiro," he raised an eyebrow. "Or the alternative is you call me Michio-sama like I'm some old fart and I call you Shiro-chan like you're some cute little girl."

Jyuushiro managed to frown, pout and cringe all at the same time and Michio chuckled, knowing that he had won.

"So Jyuushiro, what brought you to my gloomy home, where the women are shrews and the men have katanas shoved up their a~"

He was thankfully interrupted when his ninsapu rounded the corner, her face showing she was good and mad.

"Kuchiki Michio-sama," she glared.

Michio smiled charmingly before grabbing Jyuushiro's wrist and taking off, towing him ungracefully in his wake.

When they stopped, Jyuushiro struggled to regain his breath and suppress a coughing attack, wheezing in such a way that Michio looked at him worriedly.

"They'll catch us if you don't shush," he frowned. "You don't sound healthy at all. Have you never run anywhere in your entire life?"

Jyuushiro could only manage to shake his head causing Michio's frown to deepen.

Jyuushiro coughed once into his palm and was quick to wipe the blood away before his companion could see it.

He had no such luck.

"Was that blood? Did you hurt yourself or something?"

Jyuushiro shook his head vigorously enough to make himself dizzy.

"It's nothing, I'm fine,"

"Blood means something isn't fine," Michio took his hand and examined the smudge of blood.

"Just don't tell my fubo*," Jyuushiro pleaded. "Whatever you do, just don't tell them."

"Then tell me why there's blood?" Michio demanded, glaring suspiciously.

"I have a disease in my lungs that makes me cough blood up sometimes," Jyuushiro admitted, prepared for the boy to be as disgusted and wary as people always became when they found out about his illness.

Michio made a sound of distaste.

"That must be a gross feeling," he acknowledged. "But what has that got to do with letting you run around?"

"Running makes me cough," Jyuushiro stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Michio made a face. "I'd bet you anything that the more you ran around, the less you coughed."

Jyuushiro frowned a little. "Kaasan would get mad though."

"Are you afraid of your precious kaasan?" Michio goaded.

"No!" Jyuushiro pouted defensively. "I just feel really, really bad when I make her cry."

Michio rolled his eyes and pulled another face.

"Don't you think she and your tousan will be happier if you were healthier?" he pointed out, sounding wiser than he actually was. "You can always not tell them straight away and do it in secret. It isn't hard to run away from a ninsapu when they're worrying about your siblings."

"I don't have any siblings."

"…I'm sure you know how to sneak away from yours even if you don't have any brothers or sisters,"

Jyuushiro nodded and grinned.

"That's why I'm here now. I'll be in big trouble if kaasan and tousan find out though. And Eari-san will be in even bigger trouble."

Michio shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I'll just tell them you were abducted by me," he pointed at his chest, shoving it out and raising his chin in a proud manner. "A son of the Kuchiki-ke. You're my friend now, after all. Besides, no one argues with the Kuchiki-ke, they're too afraid of us."

"We'll see," Jyuushiro shrugged. "My kaasan can be very scary when she's worried, trust me."

"My kaasama doesn't notice us much, she's too busy being a noble," Michio admitted. "Which is why I decided I am never going to be a noble."

"…"

"What?" Michio demanded.

"Well…you're born into the Kuchiki-ke, into the main family I'm assuming?"

Michio nodded.

"Than you are already a noble," Jyuushiro pointed out.

"That doesn't matter," Michio shrugged. "I'll just marry someone who isn't noble, get adopted into her family so I can change my name and stop being noble, and live happily ever after. You can do that, you know, change your name if you get adopted into your wife's family. I learnt about it in tutoring the other day."

Jyuushiro nodded. "I know. One of my uncle's did it a few months ago."

"Jyuushiro!"

He cringed at the sound of his mother's voice approaching them.

An hour later found Jyuushiro and his parents and ninsapu, and Michio and his family, all gathered around a table Washishou and the sober Kuchiki head speaking seriously about their sons wanting to be friends.

It was finally decided that while Jyuushiro was there receiving treatments from their physician, would be a trail period, both for the sake of Jyuushiro's health, and the appearances of the Kuchiki-ke.

Over the following year and a half of unsuccessful treatments, Jyuushiro and Michio settled their friendship, Jyuushiro also becoming friends with the boys two brothers (one younger, one older) and younger sister.

After Jyuushiro and his mother returned to Ugendo, following the let down of the Kuchiki physician's attempts to cure his disease, Jyuushiro and Michio only managed to keep contact via the occasional letter for a number of years.

They saw each other again for the first time in three years when Michio (now nine) came to visit Jyuushiro (now seven) after the treatment induced coughing fit that lasted three days and three nights, leaving him exhausted and bedridden for the coming months and turning his beautiful ebony hair the colour of yuki*.

TBC…

**A/N:** please drop a review…

*Sensei can mean doctor or teacher, in this case it means doctor

*Ninsapu = nanny/nurse

*Fubo = mother and father/parents

*Yuki = snow


	4. Part One, Kimiko

**Disclaimer applies…**

**A/N:** the first sentence is actually a fact. The majority of people cannot remember anything from before the approximate age of three…can you remember anything before then? I can't.

Now, for those of you who haven't read my fic the Ryuukin, you won't have met my OC, Inari Kimiko, yet…I hope you'll all give her a chance, she didn't have it as easy as she should have growing up…

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PART ONE – EARLY YEARS

EARLY CHILDHOOD

KIMIKO

It was thought, that a person's earliest memory came from the time when they were around three years old. This left Inari Kimiko with a window of only a little over a year of childhood memories where she was happy…and even then the majority of these memories and special times would not stay with her as she grew.

At the age of four, Kimiko's paternal grandmother arrived to take her away. "For a better life; a better education," her mother had claimed with tears in her odd eyes and a sad smile on her lips.

"Be strong," were Inari Maeko's last words to her only child.

* * *

The short six months that Kimiko spent with her grandmother were awkward and restricting compared to how she had grown up, but it was deemed necessary for her to learn the ways and mannerisms of the royal court; but her Obaa-sama* was obviously fond of her, as was the guard assigned to protect her, so they helped to ease the transition somewhat.

When her Obaa-sama passed away from a sudden and crippling illness, Kimiko didn't really understand, but soon enough her life was turned upside down again and she knew it would never be the same when, instead of being sent home to her mother, she was sent to the royal court to live with the King and his family.

Her first time meeting the Spirit King – the man she found out later in her lifetime was her father – and his wife and seven children, Kimiko could see the hatred and resentment in some of their eyes; and she couldn't help but be thankful that Mamoru, her guard, had decided to stay with her, as he soon became the only person to care for her and help her.

* * *

"Why do they all stare and whisper about me and my hair?" Kimiko wondered one night not long after her arrival at the castle while Mamoru brought her her dinner. "Is it because it is the same as some of the Royal-ke?"

"It is a very unusual shade Kimi-sama," Mamoru tried to pacify her.

Kimiko's unusual eyes narrowed. Those eyes were something to behold.

With her left eye a beautiful shade of amber, almost orange in colour; and her right eye a vivid shade of blue; it was easy to get draw into them.

A glare from those eyes was a frightening thing, even though she was still so young.

"Don't lie. Why do they all hate me? I'm only almost five, I've never done anything to them."

Mamoru paused, trying to think of a way to explain without telling the cleverly perceptive child the absolute truth he had been banned from revealing.

"Is it because the queen hates me?"

Mamoru was surprised by the question. It was very true that if the queen hadn't made it so…_known_, Kimiko would have had a few more…friends.

"You are far too perceptive for your age Kimi-sama,"

"My kaasan never treated me like a baby," Kimiko told him, as if that explained everything.

"How are your classes?" Mamoru sat with her as she ate.

"Harder than Obaa-sama's," Kimiko started on her rice. "Sakura-hime is much smarter than some of her brothers…and smarter than me, they seem to all take pleasure in that small fact."

"I think, and your honored Obaa-sama believed, that someday you'll outshine us all…and that includes the royals," Mamoru smiled kindly. "They don't know the truth about your reiatsu after all."

"It is pretty strong, isn't it?" Kimiko grinned the innocent pride of a child.

The following night, Mamoru was watching helplessly as she wiped tears from her eyes. Like most men, he became useless when faced with a female's tears.

Hisoka, the youngest of the princes, had taken a good verbal stab at her in front of some nobles about the fact that her hair shouldn't be the same as theirs.

Kimiko had taken it gracefully, not saying a word in return or showing any hint of the reaction he had hoped to receive from her in order to get her into trouble.

"I know what you can do, Kimi-sama," Mamoru brightened with his idea and went to her trunk, searching through it until he found what he was looking for and pulled out a section of silky emerald green material her obaa-sama had given her.

"Allow me," he knelt behind her and struggled with the cascade of long pale blonde locks until he had it all in something that resembled a bun. He then went on to wrap the material around her head effectively hiding her hair. "My wife always says that beautiful things should be kept hidden in order to dazzle people when they are seen. Now people wont question your hair, but instead will be dazzled by it whenever it is revealed."

Kimiko smiled radiantly, making her eyes crinkle into crescent moons and her face glow.

It was the first and last time Mamoru saw such a beautiful smile.

* * *

As the days went by, Kimiko's visage began to grow colder; her eyes hardening; her happy childhood years truly cut short.

She was always alone except for her hovering guard; the Spirit King's wife had everyone wary of Kimiko – the nobles would rather ignore one girl than get on the queen's bad side – they avoided and ignored her, snubbed her in public. No one spoke to her if they could help it; except for her half-siblings when they teased and ridiculed her.

One day after classes, when she was still five years old, sitting beneath the snow-covered skeleton of a sakura tree, white all around her, Kimiko finally found a friend.

"Konnichiwa," the boy greeted, seeming to appear from thin air, startling her.

His face was expressionless but his strangely coloured eyes danced with mirth.

"What are you doing out here alone?" he wondered, crouching beside her to see the figures she had made from the snow. "Those are very pretty."

Kimiko stared at him for a long moment.

He appeared to be about her age and height; he was skinny and his skin and hair were as white as the snow that surrounded them.

What fascinated her the most was those eyes.

They seemed to change colour every time something moved…they looked as if they were just reflecting all the colours around them.

The boy smiled under her scrutiny.

"Aren't you going to speak to me?"

"Why are _you_ speaking to _me_?" Kimiko frowned in genuine confusion. "Nobody speaks to me."

The smile turned into a cheeky grin.

"But that's exactly why I'm here. I'm going to be your new friend. The forever kind that never leaves no matter what."

Kimiko continued to stare thoughtfully at him for a moment.

Finally her face softened, just a little, but still enough.

"That would be nice," she conceded, then she thought of something that made her visage harden again. "The queen isn't ordering you to make me trust you, is she?"

The boy chuckled huskily. "Such big mistrust from one so young," he shook his head. "The queen will never know who I am. She won't be able to find me, or use me, or sway me. I'm _yours_, not hers. I can prove that as time goes on, if you'll let me."

Kimiko watched him in silence for a time, considering his offer before she finally nodded.

"I guess we'll see."

"Good," the boy grinned radiantly. "For now you can call me Ki-kun and I'll call you Kimiko-sama."

Kimiko wrinkled her nose in disgust at the honorific.

Ki laughed. "I think you deserve the title, for putting up with the wicked majiyo* and her offspring," he said, as if reading her thoughts. "And I'm never going to call you with anything but respect."

* * *

As time passed quickly by, those closest to Kimiko noticed the slight change in her.

The more she opened up and trusted Ki, the more a secretive sparkle came to her eerie eyes.

It was only a year after she met Ki that she found out the truth.

One sunny autumn afternoon when she was six years old, Hisoka confronted her about being overheard talking to herself.

When she finally confessed about Ki, Daigoro, Tomishiro and Eiichi (**A/N:** princes in age order, youngest to oldest) burst into laughter along with their youngest brother.

"So you're imagining people now too?" Daigoro laughed.

"No, Ki-kun is real," she retorted stubbornly, trying to bring up her ice façade to defend against their insults.

"Is he with you now?" Eiichi wondered.

"No,"

"Kimi-sama?" Mamoru approached her, seeing she was losing herself.

"Mamoru-san," she turned pleading eyes to his. "Ki-kun is real, tell them…you've seen me play with him."

Mamoru pulled his eyes away, he couldn't admit to something he hadn't seen.

Kimiko's shoulders slumped and for the first time since her trusted guard had hidden her hair from view, she felt tears prick her eyes.

Tomishiro laughed again. "See, Ki-kun isn't real."

"Inari-san," Sakura, the only Ryu-Kin princess, spoke up, but cut herself off when Kimiko's tear filled gaze met her own orange-amber eyes.

Since coming to live at court, Kimiko had had to deal with a lot of cruel jokes and gossip; but never had any of them seen her lose her composure as she was doing now.

When Tomishiro began to open his mouth again, Kimiko ran from the room before she could hear what he had to say.

She made it as far as the tree where she had first met Ki before she broke down, collapsing to her knees with sobs raking her small body. She did everything in her power to not make a sound; to curl up and not draw any attention to herself.

She was so withdrawn that she didn't notice when the silent rain started to fall all around.

Passersby marveled at the rain that fell so silently, but didn't notice the crying girl.

The princes, Sakura and Mamoru hung back, all having followed, but none knowing what to do next.

"Ki-kun," Kimiko whispered to herself. "You're real right? You said," she trailed off on a rarely repressed sob.

'_**Of course I'm real**_,'

Kimiko started when she heard his voice.

'_**I'm always with you Kimiko-sama, didn't I say I would be**_?'

"They don't believe me; they say I'm imagining you,"

'_**But that's true in some ways; I have yet to properly exist**_,' Ki sounded apologetic. '_**But I think it's time that I did…if I tell you my real name, will you call it out**_?"

"Mh," Kimiko nodded once.

'_**Then I guess it's time to show them what we're made of. Kimiko-sama, gather your reiatsu around you. Remember how I told you**_?'

"Mh," she nodded again and closed her eyes, gathering her reiatsu.

People watched on in shocked silence as the air around the six year old, King's ward distorted, as small rainbows appeared to shimmer in and out of focus around her and gravity seemed to get heavier.

The quaking of the earth itself from the force of her reiatsu brought others running.

Many witnessed the moment when time seemed to slow; when a rip seemed to appear in the very fabric of existence.

A whispered call of "Kiyoshi" and with a flash of blinding light a katana appeared.

From the tip of the blade to the edge of the hilt, the katana appeared to be as big as the girl that held it.

The skies calmed and the ground stopped protesting as Kimiko reeled in her reiatsu, wiped the last of her tears away and stood.

"Kimi-sama," Mamoru moved to her side, awe evident on his face.

"Ki-kun is real," she looked to him, her expression blank and as cold as ever. "See," she held up the katana.

"Mamoru-san," the king himself arrived in a flurry of anger. "Why is my innocent young ward holding a katana?" he demanded.

"Heika*, that's no ordinary katana,"

"Nani?" the king frowned and looked down to study the blade. "Kimiko-chan, may I hold it for a moment?" he asked of the child he was not allowed to acknowledge as his daughter.

Kimiko handed over the gleaming blade, and he took it carefully, surprised by the weight of it.

The moment his flesh touched it, Zentaro could feel the hum of power. A power that was greater than many of the royal guards that were more than twice her age…a power that was still immature.

"Sugoi*," the king's amber eyes widened as he studied it, taking in the silver rectangular hilt guard with diamond shapes set into it.

The weave on the hilt was as emerald as the headscarf she always wore and just as silky to the touch. The blade was just as silver as the guard and had a series of foreign symbols engraved into it near the hilt guard.

"Sugoi," Zentaro repeated. "Kimiko-chan, I am so proud of you," he smiled down at her.

Kimiko's eyes lit briefly, though her face showed no change; and quickly disappeared again when the queen arrived at her husband's side.

"Anata*, what is going on?" Saika questioned, glancing between the king's smiling face and the child that was his shame.

"Kimiko-chan summoned her zanpakutou," Zentaro smiled at his wife. "Look at it, isn't it beautiful?"

The queen seemed barely able to contain her jealous rage. None of her own children had achieved such a feet yet.

"What's it's name, Kimiko-chan?"

"Kiyoshi," Kimiko took the blade back from him. "And Ki-kun, he says he likes you better now."

The king looked surprised for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Did he not like me before?"

Kimiko shook her head.

"Does Ki-kun know if you'll be able to reach shikai some day soon?"

Kimiko shook her head again. "He says we're still too young, we don't have our purpose yet. Until we have one, we wont know what to call to go into shikai."

"All in good time then," Zentaro lay a gentle hand on her shoulder briefly "In the meantime, Kiyoshi needs a resting place. We need to have a sheath made up."

"Ki-kun says he wants it purple,"

"Why is that?"

"Because it's our favourite colour."

Zentaro chuckled and led her away.

"I think I could make that happen."

**

* * *

A/N:** sorry this was a little delayed in being typed and posted, I went away for a few days…please leave me a review so I know what you thought…and if anyone ever wants to know what Kimiko looks like, there are a few images on my deviant page which can be accessed via my profile.

*Obaa = grandmother…

*Majiyo = witch

*Kiyoshi = the name has several meanings; the first I found was "bright, shinning, clear" I also found "quiet" and "quiet child/one"

*Heika = highness

*Sugoi = amazing

*Anata = dear/darling what a woman calls her husband


	5. Shunsui II

**Disclaimer:** Always applies since I don't own anything Bleach related.

**A/N:** A very, very big apology is needed since I've been taking so long to get things written out…I've been crazy busy, stressed out at times, working, uninspired or just plain exhausted over the past couple weeks…so yeah, things are taking a while to form…

* * *

PART ONE – EARLY YEARS

LATE CHILDHOOD

SHUNSUI

Shunsui was a couple of months shy of turning eight when he first showed promising signs of having a high level of spiritual abilities.

He had stumbled across his father trying to teach Ryuuronin to use shunpo and decided to sit by and watch his brother's comical attempts at flash stepping.

It was moments like this that Shunsui was glad his unfaithful father was so uninterested in him.

Watching Shunshou sternly reprimanding his eldest son as he struggled to get a handle on shunpo; Shunsui was thankful he wasn't the eldest son, facing expectations and being forced to try to learn things he so obviously couldn't handle and wasn't ready for.

Unfortunately for Shunsui, no matter how stupid he acted, he'd always been a quick study.

Later that afternoon, when left alone in the large garden, without consciously realizing it, Shunsui took a step to cross the garden and found himself there in just a few quick steps.

After frowning down at his feet for a short, confused moment, Shunsui glanced around quickly, praying no one had spotted his slipup of spiritual ability.

He sighed in relief, but that didn't stop him from practicing when no one was around to see him on occasion.

* * *

On his tenth birthday, a scorching hot summer's day very much like the day he was born, Shunsui took some time to laze about in the shade of one of the trees in the Kyouraku garden.

There was pandemonium up at the house, everyone was preparing for the arrival of the head of another noble clan who would arrive with his family at any moment.

"Shunsui?" his mother called out into the garden. "Come inside and put on your formalwear."

Shunsui ignored her, hidden away in the shadows as he was.

He hoped the visiting nobleman had a cute daughter he could tease into adoring him, but then again, it was probably just his father trying to marry off Mei or Chouko having just married Kaori to an aristocrat from the Kuchiki district at 17.

Shunsui sighed heavily. He could be glad at least, that when Hanamiya had married two years earlier, also at 17, she had married an aristocrat who lived nearby.

Mei would be next, even though she was still only 15.

Many of the village girls were married at 14 or 15, but then they were poor, so Shunsui didn't see why his father was so busy trying to marry off his daughters when they had more than enough money to support them.

There was a great amount of clamor as the noble family arrived.

"Shunsui-sama?"

Shunsui glanced around the tree when he heard Chou's voice.

"Shunsui-sama, your hahago* has been looking for you. The Kuchiki head family has arrived, you are supposed to look presentable by now."

"Chou-chan," Shunsui cooed, smiling merrily. "I don't give a rat's arse if they '_present_' me or not," he continued to pet the little baby tanuki* that Mei had given him as an early birthday present.

It seemed very content to be sitting in his arms.

"Shunsui-sama," Chou sighed. "Please?"

Shunsui made a face.

"Ikitakunai*," he pouted.

"They have a daughter," Chou crossed her arms over her chest.

"Hmmm?" Shunsui's ears perked up.

"Asobinin*," Chou muttered under her breath.

Shunsui chuckled and stood, cradling his new pet carefully so as not to disturb it.

"Let me have a look at this girl," he indicated for Chou to lead the way.

"I can't believe you're only 10," Chou continued to mutter. "You're going to be a horrible womanizer when you get to the age where you can do more than just flirt."

Shunsui raised his eyebrows questioningly at her back.

"What could you possibly know about such things, kawaii Chou-chan? You're no older than I am."

Chou blushed.

"I'm a servant, I hear things," she replied, hurrying on ahead.

Sneaking a look around the corner of the manor house to see the arrived party, Shunsui was taken aback.

All of them were beautiful.

He made a face.

"Inbred," he muttered. "Why are all the noble families so inbred?"

"What are you saying such rude things for?" Chou muttered. "You're a noble."

"Yes, and kaa-sama is tou-sama's cousin twice removed," Shunsui rolled his eyes. "But look at them. There are five members that I can see. Mother, father, two sons and a daughter, right?"

Chou nodded.

"Their eyes all have the same slant; they all have the same smooth, pale skin; and the same shiny black hair; I'd bet you anything they all have the same shade of eye colouring too…hey look, there's another son," Shunsui pointed as one of the taller sons moved to reveal the shortest one.

"And he has all the same features as well," Shunsui pointed out the obvious.

Chou rolled her eyes.

"It doesn't really matter, you need to go and get changed and be respectable towards them or you'll be in trouble," she told him.

Shunsui made a face. "I wonder how long it'll be before tou-sama starts bedding their servants."

Chou looked surprised.

"You know about that?" she gasped.

Before he could say anything else, his mother glanced over and spotted him.

He let out a low groan as she narrowed her eyes at him and gestured for him to come over.

He sighed heavily.

"I guess there's no avoiding it now," he muttered, and made his way over.

His mother frowned disapprovingly when she realized he hadn't changed into his finer clothes.

"I'll hide in the back," he offered, grinning happily and moving behind his family.

Before Megumi could protest, her husband was stepping forward and bowing politely in greeting to the Head of the Kuchiki family.

"Shunshou," the serious man greeted.

"Ginrei, it has been a long time,"

Ginrei nodded.

Shunshou turned to introduce his family.

"My tsuma* Megumi; my heir, Ryuuronin, and two of my daughters," he indicated them and for a moment it seemed almost as if Shunshou had forgotten his daughters' names.

"Mei is the elder of the two and Chouko the younger,"

"And your other two daughters?" Ginrei questioned.

"Are with their husbands," Shunshou replied.

Ginrei nodded his understanding.

"And your family?"

"Ah," Ginrei nodded again and moved to make his introductions.

"My tsuma, Orimi; my heir, Yasuriko; then there are my other two sons, Katsutoshi and Michio, Michio is the middle of the three; then my only daughter and the youngest of my children is Oriana."

"Sumimasen," Orimi bowed her head apologetically as she interrupted. "But did the Kyouraku-ke not have another son?"

"Ah yes," Shunshou turned around frowning until he spotted Shunsui and waved him forward. "This is my second son."

"I'm Shunsui," Shunsui took the liberty to introduce himself, staring up into those grey eyes, undaunted by the steel of them.

Attention moved away from him quickly as they moved into the manor.

Shunsui hung back out of the way, ready to make a run for it the second he could do so without being seen.

"Can I pet your tanuki?" Oriana came up to him and asked, blushing vividly.

Shunsui nodded and lowered his arms slightly so the girl could stroke his sleeping pet.

"Oriana," Orimi called her daughter's attention away from the animal and Shunsui glanced around.

When he was sure no one was looking, he made a move and used shunpo to get out of the room without being detected.

He grinned to himself as he returned to his spot under the tree's shadowing branches.

Shunpo had its uses.

He must have fallen asleep, because when he opened his eyes, a figure, cast into shadow by the light at his back, stood in front of Shunsui.

"How old are you?"

"Eh?" Shunsui frowned.

"Answer the question,"

"Ten,"

"Then how come you can use shunpo so easily?"

Shunsui shrugged. "Who are you?"

"Kuchiki Michio, weren't you paying attention?"

"You're kind of blocking the light, I can't tell who you are."

"Oh,"

Michio moved around and knelt beside him.

"That's better,"

"So how come you can use shunpo?"

Shunsui shrugged again. "I watched tou-sama teaching nii-sama once."

Michio just stared and Shunsui ignored him.

"Are you some kind of genius or something?" Michio finally asked.

Shunsui cracked one eye open to frown at the boy beside him.

"I don't study, how could I be a genius?" was all Shunsui offered.

"I have a friend who reads a lot, he's pretty smart and has a surprisingly big reiatsu, but even he doesn't know shunpo."

Shunsui shrugged again.

"Shun-kun?"

Shunsui stiffened and looked around to find Chouko staring at him open-mouthed in surprise.

"You know Shunpo?"

Shunsui gulped…this could be bad…

**

* * *

A/N:** mmm…I know it wasn't a great chapter considering how long you all waited…but a review would still be appreciated…I'll try to get the next chapter up much faster…and it'll be much better too...

*Hahago = a polite term for another's mother

*Tanuki = raccoon dog

*Ikitakunai = "I don't want to go"

*Asobinin = carouser, playboy

*Tsuma = wife


	6. Jyuushiro II

**Disclaimer:** still don't own Bleach

**A/N:** and here's Jyuushiro's next chapter in life. I hope you enjoy it. For all of you who are Ryuukin readers, I've created a survey regarding a possible sequel…the overall vote will help me decide on the course the story continues to take and the way I (eventually) end it…please take a moment to vote.

* * *

PART ONE – EARLY YEARS

LATE CHILDHOOD

JYUUSHIRO

He could already feel the trembling of his limbs as he fought to lift his heavy eyelids.

The scene around him was blurred but he recognized his room nonetheless.

He blinked a few times (who ever knew the simple act of blinking could be such a tiresome feet?) to clear the distortion from his gaze.

Turning his head, he spotted both his parents asleep leaning into each other and back against the wall beside his futon.

That was enough to tell him that this last attack had truly been a bad one, something he also knew just from assessing his body.

His sluggish eyes and continued lethargy despite the fact that his body was telling him he had already been asleep for a number of days. His limbs, his entire body, felt too weak to move and the trembling wouldn't cease. His throat felt burnt and raw and his lungs…well his breaths were wheezing and the tang of blood still resided in his mouth, suggesting to him that irreparable damage had been done.

Jyuushiro tried to speak with no success and fought back a cough when he managed to clear his throat loudly enough to jolt his parents awake.

"Jyuushiro," his mother took his hand, leaning close to him, relief at seeing her beloved only son awake again evident in the tears that leaked from her tired eyes.

He managed a wavering smile for her benefit.

"Jyuu-kun," Washishou leant in also, bringing with him a cup. "I'll help you lift your head so you can drink?"

Jyuushiro nodded slightly and his father's hand slipped under his neck to cup and support the base of his head.

The cool liquid burned Jyuushiro's ragged throat on its way down and he couldn't help but choke on it just a little.

"I'll call the physician," Miyuki stood and hurried off.

"How are you feeling son?" Washishou asked.

"Sore," Jyuushiro managed to rasp out. "And…tired."

Washishou squeezed his arm lightly in some kind of comfort.

The physician fussed over him for a while and told them that the treatment most definitely hadn't help and for all intents and purposes, Jyuushiro should have been dead, all the signs concluded that. The only reason he was still alive seemed to be because he had been exercising (Jyuushiro mad a mental note to thank Michio), the activity increasing the strength of his lungs.

Jyuushiro had managed to blush (who knew, he still had blood circulation) as his mother's eyes turned to him, his secret discovered.

All the physician could say was that for now, Jyuushiro should rest up, then he should keep doing what he had been doing to strengthen his sickly body.

Miyuki and Washishou left him alone to sleep some more, but only when he insisted that they go and rest up as well.

It was after they left, and while he was trying to get back to sleep, that the seven year old noticed a flash of white out of the corner of his eye.

Shakily, and with a sense of dread, he reached for it and pulled.

In a moment of detached horror, Jyuushiro realized it was his own hair that he was pulling.

Ha had heard before of people with his illness having their hair go white after a short period of time and a bad attack; but he had never once thought that it might ever happen to him, especially considering he was so young.

He must have been asleep for a number of days.

One thing Jyuushiro knew for sure, he wasn't going to let his parents continue to pay the baka-sensei* who had come to them with this "cure" for his illness.

The "cure" had obviously resulted in an attack so bad his life had almost cut short and his hair had turned white under the strain it had put on his body.

…there were things Jyuushiro wanted out of life, after all, especially if his illness had already shortened his lifespan and even if he was only seven…and he had heard the talks among the clan members when they thought he couldn't hear them; the Ukitake-ke was struggling with their dwindling funds.

The following morning, Jyuushiro spoke to his parents.

His mother cried and his father argued when he told them he didn't want them paying for medical attention anymore unless he absolutely needed it. He was done with being a test guinea pig for all the supposed and potential cures.

"I've made my decision and it's final," Jyuushiro glared stubbornly at his parents. "I absolutely refuse! You are spending the clan funds on treatments that are making me worse," he held out his hair as an example.

"Jyuu-kun, the clan doesn't mind, they want you healed and healthy," Washishou tried to make his son see reason. "You are their heir after all."

"Then have another heir," Jyuushiro stated matter-of-factly.

His parents gasped.

"It sounds like you are telling us to give up," Miyuki let out a sob.

"No," Jyuushiro sighed, staring at his bed covers guiltily. "That's not what I'm saying. I am saying that I would like siblings I can play with and teach and guide. I want to be a big brother, and that can't happen if you're spending all the money on me. Treatment-wise, if something comes up that seems promising enough, I promise you I will try it…but no more spending everything asking every physician to try and heal me when they all turn back saying the same thing."

In that moment, neither Miyuki nor Washishou could deny that their son was mature far beyond his years; and as much as it pained them, they knew that they couldn't deny him this request.

* * *

Three months later when Jyuushiro was finally off the floor and moving about freely again, Michio showed up for a visit, glad his friend was still alive and delighting in teasing him about his new hair colour.

The white hair, Jyuushiro had to grudgingly admit, not matter how much of a sore point it was, was actually growing on him.

It was during his friend's stay that Washishou and Miyuki happily announced that Jyuushiro was going to get his wish to become a big brother.

Seven and a half months later, just two weeks after Jyuushiro's eighth birthday, Ukitake Saburo was born. It was definitely the best belated birthday gift Jyuushiro had ever received.

* * *

On a trip to a nearby village for a festival one night when Jyuushiro was nine, he met a shinigami for the first time.

The man was happily playing with the village children, entertaining them with what they all thought were colourful magic tricks.

"Kaasan, can I go closer?" Jyuushiro asked excitedly.

"Only if you take your brother with you," Miyuki was fighting to hold on to her squirming son, who clearly also wanted a closer look.

"Hai," Jyuushiro nodded happily.

"Hold onto his hand," Miyuki instructed as she put Saburo on his feet. "Don't let him get away from you."

"I know, don't worry kaasan," Jyuushiro grinned and led his brother away.

Saburo, now just over a year old, was already happily walking and running and saying a few words, though he couldn't yet pronounce his aniki's name.

While they were watching, Jyuushiro observed that the man was taking a moment before each spell to mumble under his breath, the energy around him shifting.

Jyuushiro glanced down when Saburo yanked persistently on his sleeve.

"Uu-nii do," Saburo commanded, pointing.

"Saburo-kun, it isn't that easy, Jyuu-nii doesn't know how to do magic," Jyuushiro smiled apologetically.

Saburo's cheeks puffed out and his bottom lip stuck out in a pout, a sure sign that meant he wasn't happy.

Before Jyuushiro could stop him, Saburo had reached out and yanked on a loose lock that had escaped Jyuushiro's ponytail…and he yanked _hard_.

"Itai!"

There was a chuckle and Jyuushiro glanced up to see the shinigami standing smiling beside them.

"Hi there little guy," he crouched beside Saburo. "What's wrong?"

"He wants me to do magic for him," Jyuushiro mumbled, embarrassed and blushing at the fact that the man had disrupted his entertainment to speak to his brother.

"Hmmmm," the shinigami pondered. "How about I do some more for you? Something special?" he asked Saburo.

The little boy only shook his head defiantly.

"Uu-nii do," Saburo repeated, taking tight hold of his big brother's sleeve, clearly not planning on letting go.

"Have you ever had any kind of kidou training? Or done a reiatsu test?" the shinigami wondered of Jyuushiro.

Jyuushiro just shook his head.

"I have a thought," the man turned back to Saburo. "How about if I see if your aniki can learn magic and if he can't, you let me keep doing it for you?"

Saburo nodded.

"Boy," the shinigami faced Jyuushiro once again. "Hold out your hands for me, cupped like this," he showed him. "I'm going to do a small test to see if you'll be able to handle kidou, alright?"

"Will it hurt any?" Jyuushiro wondered, holding out his hands anyway, anything to please his ototo.

"Not at all," the shinigami shook his head and muttered something under his breath, wiggling his fingers a little and what appeared to be a bright, multicoloured flame began to glow in his palms.

"Now, I'm going to put this in your hands, if it maintains then you have a kidou affinity, if it goes out then you don't, it's as simple as that."

Jyuushiro nodded to say he understood and the man tipped the glow into his hands.

It sat there for a moment, unchanging, before growing bigger and brighter, little fizzes of colour jumping out in all directions to puff out harmlessly.

Saburo started giggling excitedly now that his brother was participating.

"Sugoi, that's some power," the shinigami was surprised. "I've never seen a reaction like that outside of the high end nobles. Are you a noble?"

"Not…exactly…" Jyuushiro frowned, not really sure how to explain that, while the Ukitake-ke had once been considered noble, they had fallen down the chain over time and were now lucky to be considered low class aristocracy.

"With a power like that you'd make a fine shinigami some day. Here, I'll teach you something small to entertain your ototo with. But I seriously think you should consider properly studying kidou."

When he returned home, Jyuushiro found all the books he could on shinigami and read up on kidou.

"Protecting the Seireitei from Hollows huh?" he mused, staring at an image in book he had just read. "I would be proud to do something like that."

* * *

That same year saw the birth of the third Ukitake son, Ukitake Taizo and as the Ukitake clan continued to grow, so did the noise and the boisterous atmosphere.

…and the moments in which Jyuushiro could take some time to quietly practice the little kidou he knew.

While his health was still a constant worry to his family, fresh air, exercise, practice sessions and playing with his little brother's made Jyuushiro feel as if, someday, he would be able to take on the world.

* * *

**A/N:** you know the drill, hit the review sign and make my day…night…depending on your time zone…

*Baka-sensei = idiot doctor


	7. Kimiko II

**Disclaimer:** always applies as I own nothing related to Bleach.

**A/N:** and Kimiko…enjoy even if you have read the Ryuukin and predicted what's going to happen.

* * *

PART ONE – EARLY YEARS

LATE CHILDHOOD

KIMIKO

Kimiko crouched to retrieve the object that rolled across her path.

A child ran up to her as she was straightening but a woman who could only have been his mother caught him and pulled him back, watching Kimiko suspiciously.

Silent and stony as ever, Kimiko held the plaything out to the child as unthreateningly as possible.

She was used to receiving such looks, having been getting them from people who didn't know her ever since she had summoned Kiyoshi. People didn't respond well to a child walking around with a katana almost as tall as them strapped to their back.

Worse than that were the people who knew her because of her zanpakutou at her back…those ones were the worst, trying to become close to her to gain the King's favor, even if it ultimately meant facing the Queen's displeasure.

"Nari-chan," Kimiko could never manage to suppress a cringe at the nickname Sakura had been calling her for the last couple of years.

"What are you doing? Hurry up," Sakura called.

Ignoring her, Kimiko continued to hold the object out to the child.

The young boy squirmed until he escaped his mother's grasp and ran up to her, taking the plaything out of her grasp and staring up at her curiously.

"Is that a real katana?" he wondered.

Kimiko nodded.

"Sugoi," the boy's eyes widened in awe.

"What's that plaything called?" Kimiko wondered.

The boy looked at it in surprise.

"It's a ball. Haven't you ever played with one before?"

Kimiko shook her head. "What do you play with it?"

"All sorts of games. Do you want to come play?"

Kimiko glanced up at the boy's wary mother and shook her head.

"Maybe next time," her eyes softened into what could have been called a smile for Kimiko, before she turned to catch up with the princes and Sakura.

"Girl?"

Kimiko glanced back at the boy's mother, surprised though she didn't show it.

The woman moved forward, her son had already run off to continue playing.

"Thank you,"

Kimiko shrugged, all she did was give the ball back.

"You seem used to people not trusting you?"

Kimiko nodded and shrugged again, frowning slightly, the woman was prying now.

"Why do you carry a katana then? Haven't your parents told you a katana isn't a plaything?"

"What parents?" Kimiko raised an eyebrow. "And they wouldn't have a choice. My zanpakutou doesn't leave me."

"Zanpakutou?" the woman looked startled as Kimiko turned away and jogged to catch up to the royals.

They wandered the market for a while, Kimiko trailing behind them.

'_**Something is wrong**_,' Kiyoshi commented suddenly.

Kimiko halted, glancing around in an effort to locate the problem.

A moment later a warning bell sounded and chaos insured.

The royals disappeared in the blink of an eye, the older princes already knew shunpo after all, and Kimiko was left behind, forgotten or just ignored.

The horrors of what followed, of what she witnessed, were not something that should ever be repeated.

Men and women alike were brutally raped and murdered before her eyes.

Not even children were spared, no matter how much their parents fought or begged.

'_**These people cannot be considered human**_,' Kiyoshi spat in her mind. '_**Kimiko-sama, they are oni**_*.'

Kimiko reached for Kiyoshi's hilt, she couldn't stand to watch such horrors.

Her reiatsu began to pulse as her fingers curled on the green ribboned hilt.

"We've just realized our purpose, haven't we?" Kimiko spoke aloud to her zanpakutou spirit. "This is it?"

'_**Hai, Kimiko-sama, tell me what it is,**_'

"Protect the weak ones who can't protect their own."

'_**Are you ready for that? We have never had anyone to protect before**_,'

Kimiko drew her katana in reply, the blade singing as if was released from its confines.

A man who had to be at least four times her size, in both height and muscle, approached her.

'_**Remember all Mamoru-san's instructions on how to use a katana**_,' Kiyoshi instructed helpfully. '_**You can sense that man has no reiatsu, he doesn't stand a chance against us**_.'

The man grinned salaciously, thinking he had found a pretty little tomboy to target for his lust.

He took a step forward, pleased when she didn't back up.

Kimiko took up her stance, right leg back as Mamoru had taught her; but as a deathly cold calm settled over her mind and body and her newly found resolve solidified in her mind, she shifted her body on instinct; left leg going back and shifting her weight onto the balls of her feet.

The man who dared to grab a hold of her arm paid dearly for it.

At the same moment his hand touched her, Kimiko let loose her reiatsu and swung her blade.

His arm, which had shattered from the impact of her reiatsu, hit the floor as Kiyoshi sliced easily and cleanly through.

His head followed momentarily and Kimiko paused a moment, staring at the first man whose life she had ended.

…it didn't worry her as much as she thought it was meant to…it didn't worry her at all actually; he had been evil.

Kimiko glanced around to see that the attacks had stopped, the men looking around nervously as they tried to locate the source of the reiatsu induced earth tremors.

'_**Too easy**_,' Kiyoshi murmured. '_**None of them have any brains, let alone skill**_.'

The men realized it was her as the sun caught her blood splattered blade.

They stood and advanced, their own, normal katanas in hand.

* * *

When the king and his guard arrived, Mamoru in tow, they couldn't believe the devastation that had happened in so short a time.

Houses had been burned to the ground, others were still alight.

From what his sons had described, Zentaro had expected the enemy to still be on the rampage.

When he had felt Kimiko's reiatsu trembling, even from so far away, Zentaro had realized something wasn't right and confronted his sons, who had apparently left her there at the first signs of trouble.

He was ashamed to call them his own, but they would be dealt with later.

There were bodies everywhere.

"Mamoru-san," Zentaro called for him.

"Heika?"

"You find her."

Mamoru nodded and moved off.

"Guards, find out what happened here; and make sure the situation has been defused."

"Sir," the guards followed suit.

"Tousama," Nobusuke moved to his father's side.

"Do not talk to me right now," Zentaro snapped, sending his oldest son a glare. "No son of mine would leave a ten-year-old girl behind, whether they like her or not. It makes it that much worse that she is your sister, even if you won't admit it."

"Tousama…" Nobusuke trailed off guiltily, hanging his head.

"The lot of you had best hope no harm has come to her,"

Nobusuke nodded. "I will help look for her."

Zentaro nodded and moved away before he could see whether his son would stick to his word.

It wasn't more than a few minutes before one of his soldiers found him.

"Heika, you wont believe what happened."

"Tell me."

"Inari-sama, they're saying she saved them."

"Nani?"

The man nodded. "She killed the men who were attacking the village, every last one of them."

"You expect me to believe that my ten year old ward saved what's left of this village? By herself? You think I believe she is capable of killing grown men?"

"Come and see for yourself, heika, there are traces of her blade on all the dead villains."

The king followed him.

* * *

Mamoru found his charge helping to put the fires that still licked at some of the houses.

She was slapping away the hands of two women who appeared to be fussing over her.

When he got closer, he could see that they were actually trying to tend to the bleeding coming from a cut on the side of her neck.

"Kimiko-sama?" he reached her side in an instant, trying to assess the damage also. "You're bleeding."

"Mamoru-san," Kimiko acknowledged, resigned to the fact that she obviously wasn't going to be of much more use with everyone hovering around her. "It's fine, it doesn't hurt. It was my fault anyway for tripping towards someone's blade. Can we make sure the rest of the village doesn't burn the rest of the way to the ground?"

It wasn't much longer before the heir to the throne and the king found Kimiko and Mamoru helping to carry buckets of water from the wells to the fires.

As the fires were finally all put out, and the villagers set to moving and dividing the dead, Zentaro finally claimed his daughter's attention.

"You killed all the men that attacked this village?"

Kimiko nodded, her expression as blank as ever.

"You don't seem upset about that?"

She shook her head. "It's what needed to be done. They deserved worse than death."

Zentaro stared at her for a long time, their gazes locked on each other; and he finally saw and understood the barely discernible gleam in her mismatched eyes.

His daughter, she hadn't enjoyed it at all, but she had a true a true samurai spirit. She was strong, she wouldn't let this effect her. She had done what was necessary.

"Have you cleaned Kiyoshi yet?"

Kimiko shook her head and Zentaro reached into his sleeve for his handkerchief.

"Clean him off, I'm sure he doesn't like being soaked in blood."

Kimiko nodded, accepting the cloth.

"You need a good cleaning yourself, you're covered in soot," the king chose not to also mention the blood that was splattered over her.

Kimiko pulled Kiyoshi back out of his sheath and found there was nothing to clean.

'_**I would never let their blood touch our spirit**_,' Kiyoshi informed her and Kimiko's lips twitched.

She relayed the message to Zentaro and he couldn't help a relieved smile at the double meaning.

Mamoru rejoined them and used his own handkerchief to rub at the dirt on her cheek.

Kimiko caught a passing whisper of a villager.

"…just like a Seireitei shinigami,"

"A Seireitei shinigami?" Kimiko frowned curiously. "What's that?"

"Seireitei is in a different realm to us. They have shinigami who help keep balance with the Living World Humans by killing Hollows," Mamoru explained to her.

"They save people, the shinigami?"

Mamoru nodded.

Kimiko frowned, interested in finding out more about the shinigami.

* * *

To escape the blame falling on her own children, Saika had Mamoru fired, claiming he had failed in his job of protecting Kimiko.

And so Kimiko found herself waiting with him as he packed up his few belongings kept in the castle and readied himself to set off.

"I'm sorry," Kimiko told him.

"It isn't your fault Kimi-sama," Mamoru smiled. "Unfortunately Saika-sama isn't happy with you. I would rather she take it out on me than on you; but I'm sorry you are going to be alone from now on."

Kimiko shrugged. "Harui-san in the kitchen has been determined to teach me to cook for myself these past few years…we haven't had much luck, but I'm sure she'll still be happy to make me something."

"That's not what I meant,"

She shrugged again.

"I don't intend on being here forever," she told him. "I like the sound of going to Seireitei and becoming a shinigami."

"And you'll be a good one, I'm sure," Mamoru smiled kindly. "I heard that the villagers have started to call you the Samurai Hime, and the tale of what happened has already spread. You are going to be great someday, Kimiko-sama, I've always believed that. You have a heart filled with compassion and the spirit of a warrior. And one day, someone else will see it too."

Kimiko blushed slightly at the idea of loving her in the way he was insinuating.

"The man who you let see into your heart will be a man I would truly love to meet one day, he'll be just as great as you," Mamoru winked and handed her a wrapped bundle. "A present for you. Play it when you have something you need to let out…emotionally."

Kimiko accepted it and he rested his hand gently on her head.

"Until the day you return a shinigami, with a devoted man in tow, I'll live my life. Will you promise to bring him to meet me?"

"You may need to come to Seireitei, once I leave, I don't really want to be returning."

"A clean start," Mamoru nodded in understanding. "You and Kiyoshi fight hard and stay strong then. One day, more than a thousand years from now, I'd say, I'll come and visit you."

Kimiko nodded.

Mamoru smiled once more and turned to leave.

Kimiko watched him go and then looked down at her present, unwrapping it carefully to reveal a shakuhachi*.

She smiled and raised it to her lips.

Every journey had its bumps in the road…they'd meet again someday.

* * *

**A/N:** sooo…review please? They really keep me going and writing…

*Oni = demon

*Shakuhachi = a Japanese end-blown flute, traditionally made out of bamboo


	8. Shunsui III

**Disclaimer:** still don't own Bleach.

**A/N:** well, not much to say, we're almost at the end of part one…

* * *

PART ONE – EARLY YEARS

PRE-ACADEMY TEEN YEARS

SHUNSUI

It was the day of his twelfth birthday that Shunsui shared his first kiss with a girl.

He had convinced Chou to give it to him as a birthday gift.

It was messy and awkward but it felt okay.

Over the following year they practiced and got pretty good at it, more adventurous; and on his thirteenth birthday, Shunsui managed to kiss her into happy submission and they both lost their virginity to each other.

Shunsui found the experience…addictive.

Though he hated the idea of being like his father, he almost couldn't fault him for wanting to experience this feeling so often.

When he was just barely fourteen, Shunsui had found himself grinning like an idiot when he had succeeded in seducing and bedding his older female tutor.

With Mei married off and Chouko away being tutored with Kuchiki Oriana, Shunsui had been left alone with his parents and brother.

One good thing was that with Chouko away, there was no one to hold his ability to shunpo over his head.

Kuchiki Michio, the only other person to know, was long gone back to his family's clan's manor and land.

Life was great until his fifteenth year.

Chouko, along with all his other sisters, decided it would be a good year for a visit.

As did some low-level Hollow.

Hanamiya had brought her husband along.

Kaori on the other hand bought along her husband and his cousin Kuchiki Oriana, who had decided to visit along with her now good friend Chouko.

Mei brought along her husband and his grandfather, who was apparently a famous taicho of the shinigami Gotei 13.

Megumi had warned her youngest son beforehand, about how it was an honor for Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni to come since Shunsui's grandfather had fallen out of favor and lost their seat on the Gotei. They were holding out a lot of hope that Yamamoto would reconsider and help them regain favor by helping Ryuuronin get into the Gotei.

Shunsui had laughed at that. His brother, now 26-years-old, had called forth his zanpakutou and could even use his shikai abilities to the fullest…but he couldn't even shunpo.

Everyone had already arrived when Shunsui finally found his way there, dressed in his finest…though it wasn't entirely perfect anymore after a quick tussle with the maid who had helped him into the kimono.

"Shun-kun? Sugoi," Chouko rushed over to hug her not-so-little-anymore baby brother. "You're taller than nii-san and tou-san already…who knew three years would make such a difference?"

"Nee-chan," Shunsui grinned. "You, on the other hand, only appear to have gotten shorter…from my point of view."

Chouko rolled her eyes at him.

Introductions were made and dinner was served.

Shunsui suffered through dinner.

For some unknown reason, his mother had decided to hold it in the yard, admittedly it was a lovely evening and all, but the insects were biting and Isamu, as Shunsui had fondly named his pet tanuki, was sitting not far off pouting because Shunsui wasn't allowed to play with him.

There was also the fact that Chou, who was serving them, was mad at him and was making sure he knew it.

But he couldn't help it if he was flirting with Oriana, she was sitting right next to him, blushing so entertainingly at his compliments.

Shunsui hadn't failed to notice that he had been served sake, though no one else seemed to have noticed, and not having ever had much of the alcoholic drink before, he didn't have much of a tolerance for it.

He would never be one hundred per cent sure what came out of his mouth that night, but he was pretty sure he had succeeded in making a clown of himself, though he was sure he hadn't bad mouthed his brother or done anything too stupid…

He did know that when the Hollows had attacked, he hadn't panicked like most everyone else, instead choosing to laugh at the funny-looking thing that landed in front of him.

Before that, Shunsui had only ever seen images of Hollow in books.

When the Hollow had turned to attack Oriana, Shunsui hadn't thought twice about saving her or about everyone finding out about his ability to use shunpo, he had just moved.

He didn't know what happened to the Hollow after that, someone had obviously taken it out, but Shunsui simply got sidetracked by Isamu who had jumped up into his arms and curled up shivering, frightened by the happenings.

"Shunsui,"

He looked over when his mother called his attention for the first time all evening.

All eyes were turned to him; some startled, some just plain amazed, and some calculating.

"Boy, did you just use shunpo?" Shunshou questioned.

Shunsui, still a little silly from the alcohol, shrugged.

"I don't know, did I?"

"Have you never been taught?" Yamamoto questioned.

Shunsui just shook his head.

"Kyouraku," Yamamoto faced Shunshou. "I believe your younger son here has greater potential. You know it is extremely rare for one so young to have such a talent."

Shunshou nodded, frowning.

"He has known how for a number of years now Yamamoto-sama," Chouko offered, smiling proudly.

"Boy, have you ever thought about becoming a shinigami?"

Shunsui almost laughed and shook his head. "That's Ryuu-nii's job."

"That does not mean you cannot be one,"

Shunsui made a face. "I'm not good at following orders."

"I started up an academy where one can learn what is needed to become a shinigami, would you consider attending?"

"What for?" Shunsui raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Shunsui," Chouko hissed at him. "Stop pretending to be a baka."

Shunsui made a face.

"I really don't see the point. I'm not the type to follow orders, and I do even worse with tutors and studying," he shrugged. "Sorry Yama-jii, but it just isn't my thing."

Everyone but Yamamoto gasped at his use of such a familiar term.

Yamamoto just raised an eyebrow.

Shunsui stared back.

* * *

He put it off for as long as possible, but he supposed it was inevitable.

On his seventeenth birthday, after suffering two years of blackmail, threats and bribes, Megumi caught her son in the process of bedding one of the Kyouraku family maids and his brother's fiancé at the same time and that was that.

Turned out that all these years, Megumi had known about her husband's infidelity, and she'd be damned if she let her son turn into a whoring, sorry excuse for a husband when it came to his turn to marry.

No matter how much he whined, promised, begged or pouted, no amount of a tantrum could convince his mother not to send him away to Shinoreijutsuin*…

* * *

**A/N:** so yeah, this is the last pre-academy chapter for Shunsui, don't forget to review.

*Shinoreijutsuin = Spiritual Arts Academy/A.K.A Shinigami Academy


	9. Jyuushiro III

**Disclaimer, as always, applies.**

**A/N:** okay, so, it's taken me longer than it should have to post this, gomen, I was being lazy and forgot…to make up for it, I'll post the next chapter within the week.

* * *

PART ONE – EARLY YEARS

PRE-ACADEMY TEEN YEARS

JYUUSHIRO

Jyuushiro watched the students as they walked around the marketplace in their uniforms.

Students of the Shinigami Academy that had been founded not even a full decade ago.

The warm summer breeze rustled his short hair and he ran his fingers through it impatiently.

With four other siblings now, not including Saburo, Jyuushiro had inevitably been forced to cut off his ponytail, his siblings while they were still so young, found themselves attracted to the silky white hair of their aniki, always finding ways to grab hold of it and pull hard, refusing to let go on more than one occasion.

"Nii-chan?" Saburo, now seven, tugged at his brother's sleeve. "What are you stopping for? What are you staring at?"

Jyuushiro pointed. "See those men? They are training to be shinigami."

"You want to be a shinigami, do you not, nii-chan? Are you going to be dressed up like that one day?"

Jyuushiro looked surprised, he had never really fully thought about it before, but he truly did like the idea of becoming a shinigami in the future. To do so, he would need to find out how to join the Academy…not to mention convince his parents to let him go in the first place.

He smiled down at his brother.

"You are right, ototo-kun, I will need to be."

Saburo grinned at being right about something.

"Now, come, we need to buy something for dinner," Jyuushiro grasped his brother's hand firmly in his, despite protests, and led him to a stall.

"Nii-chan, are you really cooking for us tonight?"

"You like it when I cook,"

"Yes, but kaa-chan and tou-chan left Moe-san in charge on cooking and cleaning."

"Moe-san herself is not enough to do everything in our home. She is so busy looking after al you little rascals that I decided to help her. I am old enough after all."

Following the births of Taizo, Miyako, Yokichi, and most recently, Koji, the Ukitake-ke funds had continued to dwindle and now only allowed them a very small number of servants (if they wanted to keep from going hungry), which currently consisted of Moe-san, their ninsapu, Ringo-san the gardener, and Chihiro-san, their housekeeper who had gone with his parents on their trip.

"The tofu looks good today," Jyuushiro observed. "Perhaps I'll make inari zushi*."

Saburo nodded, watching in fascination as his nii-chan spoke to the shop manager, before getting sidetracked.

Jyuushiro felt his brother's presence leave his side and spun around.

"Saburo!" he chased after him, grabbing hold of his arm.

"But nii-chan, they're doing magic better than yours, maybe one of them can teach you," Saburo squirmed to get out of his aniki's hold.

He elbowed Jyuushiro's tender ribs and bolted the second Jyuushiro's grip slackened as he broke off in a nasty cough.

Jyuushiro stumbled after his troublesome ototo to where the shinigami students were showing off some of their talents. A bid for more students, Jyuushiro assumed.

"Oya-ji*,"

Jyuushiro looked around at the sound of his brother's voice and spotted him pulling at an older man's sleeve; a Gotei taicho, judging from the white haori with its small black diamond shapes along the trim.

He rushed over, hoping to prevent his brother saying anything offensive or causing too much trouble.

"How do you become a shinigami?" Saburo asked boldly.

"Well, if you want to go to the shinigami academy then all you have to do is take a little test. If you pass, you can come and learn everything required to become a shinigami," the taicho explained in a gruff voice (**A/N:** is gruff the right word to use to describe Yamamoto's voice?). "Do you wish to become a shinigami?"

Saburo shook his head. "Not me, just nii-chan, he already knows some magic,"

"Magic hey? What kind of magic?"

"Almost like that," Saburo pointed.

"Really? And how old is your nii-chan?"

"Sixteen and a half,"

"Is that so? Can I meet your nii-chan?"

Saburo grinned and nodded, looking around for Jyuushiro.

"Nii-chan!" he called and waved him over.

"I am so sorry sir," Jyuushiro apologized, bowing. "I hope my ototo has not been too annoying, he escaped before I could stop him."

"Not at all, he was just telling me all about his nii-chan who can perform magic. I presume that is you?"

Jyuushiro nodded hesitantly.

"Have you ever had any formal kidou training?"

Jyuushiro shook his head. "A shinigami a few years back gave me a few pointers, I had never even tried before then."

"I hear that you are considering joining my academy–"

"_Your_ academy?" Jyuushiro was surprised enough that he forgot about being polite to his elders and interrupted. "Then, you are _the_ Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni."

Yamamoto nodded once.

Jyuushiro bowed formally. "It's an honor to meet you sir, I am Ukitake Jyuushiro, and this is my ototo Ukitake Saburo."

"What a coincidence, a subordinate of mine mentioned your name to me when he heard we were traveling in this area. He informed me that you showed tremendous potential when you were still just a young boy."

Jyuushiro blushed, he could only assume that the subordinate had been the shinigami he had met all those years ago.

"I am sure he speaks too highly of me,"

"I would like to find out myself then,"

Jyuushiro glanced at his feet. "Even if I were to prove myself, sir, my family cannot afford to send me to such a school."

"If you are as promising as Hama-san says, I would be happy to supply you with a scholarship,"

Jyuushiro glanced up in surprise.

"Go on onii-chan," Saburo pouted.

"Saburo, you know it isn't that easy," Jyuushiro reprimanded gently.

"Why ever not?" Yamamoto raised an eyebrow.

"It's my health, sir, it isn't very good, kaa-san and tou-san aren't likely to want me to go even if you were to give me a scholarship."

"Sounds like you are making excuses,"

Jyuushiro's hackles rose at the challenge to his pride.

"What do you want me to do to prove it?"

* * *

Jyuushiro couldn't believe that he was here.

He was standing in front of the entrance to Shinoreijutsuin.

He took a deep breath and grinned.

It was time for him to take his life fully into his own hands.

**

* * *

A/N:** don't forget the review.

*Inari zushi = stuffed tofu sushi

*Oya-ji = old man


	10. Kimiko III

**Disclaimer applies.**

**A/N:** aren't I nice, I'm keeping my promise...but the next chapter will probably be a little while in the making...either way we're out of the early years now and onward to the academy, enjoy :D

Okay, a section of this overlaps with something that'll happen in the coming chapters, look out for it in the future :D hehehe

Also, there's a brief mention of Kimiko as the samurai hime and her armor, if you are curious, there is a representation on my deviantart so go take a look.

* * *

PART ONE – EARLY YEARS

PRE-ACADEMY TEEN YEARS

KIMIKO

Kimiko scanned the battlefield that had only a few days ago been a happy little village with cold eyes.

She was almost sixteen years old and she had already seen more battles and blood than some soldiers twice her age.

She'd had enough, there was still so little she could do to save so many lives.

The legend of the Samurai Hime had grown over the years as she continued to help the royal guard fight back the rebellion.

At first the soldiers had all been wary of the ten year old girl in their midst, but it had only taken her saving their lives once for them to start to accept her, even if they still felt nervous in her presence.

She adjusted her armor, it was getting small again (why had she grown so much?), and moved around what was now more of a burial ground.

She stopped next to the body of a child and crouched down, her chest constricting painfully.

Another life she had been too late to save.

"Samurai Hime?" a young soldier rushed up to her.

"What is it?" she stood, making sure her face was composed.

"The king is summoning you,"

Kimiko nodded. "Make sure to tell your commander that I want all the bodies buried honorably."

"Eh?"

"You heard me," she responded flatly as she walked away.

This was it.

It was time for her to go and follow her destined path.

She was going to be a shinigami, and perhaps then she would be able to make more of a difference in this world.

* * *

"You may be the spirit king, but you understand that I cannot simply accept students based on family status," Yamamoto studied the two teenaged girls standing on either side of the king. "They must show some form of ability. We cannot take in the delinquents of the noble families."

"Of course," Zentaro nodded. "We understand there is an entrance exam involved and both girls are willing and ready to submit to said testing. Both are more than capable of passing."

Yamamoto made a noise of acknowledgement.

He could sense the strength of reiatsu coming from the shorter of the girls, obviously a testament to her heritage. The taller one, with her cold, mismatched eyes, however; showed no signs of power.

"Introduce yourselves," Yamamoto instructed.

"I am Ryu-Kin Sakura, sir," Sakura grinned brightly and bowed.

"Inari Kimiko," Kimiko bowed formally, the defiance sparking in her eyes as she did so showing some of her hidden spirit, and Yamamoto knew there was much more to this young woman than she let on.

"Kimiko-chan has been my ward for a long number of years now," the king explained. "Before that she was my Okaa-sama's."

"Are you from a noble family, girl?"

"No, I am not. I was born in your Rukongai, sir," Kimiko responded tonelessly. "I have no father and my mother handed me over to her highness, the dowager empress, when I was four. I had lessons as if I was a noble child and studied with Sakura-hime and her brothers for a time. I am by no means on the same academic level as the royal-ke, but I am not a hindrance."

"Kimiko-chan is somewhat…modest," Zentaro was frowning at her, Sakura too.

"Is she applying to be the hime's guard?" Yamamoto wondered, somewhat surprised by the offended look that flashed in Kimiko's eyes.

"Quite the opposite, I assure you," Sakura smiled. "Inari-san was the one who decided to become a shinigami quite some time before I did. Our motives and desires behind becoming shinigami are very different."

"I shall call in two fellow sensei to help examine you then," Yamamoto sent off two hell butterfly. "You will be examined separately."

Sakura nodded her understanding.

Fifteen minutes later she went in first.

An hour later, Kimiko took her turn.

The only visible face of the three examiners was Yamamoto.

"Why do you wish to enter the Academy?" he asked her.

"I decided a number of years ago that I wished to be a shinigami. The environment I've grown up in isn't exactly conducive to such training though, and there isn't anyone who would be willing to teach me the skill set, not to mention that this academy is fast becoming the requirement in shinigami training, the way I've heard it. So it strikes me as a better environment to train and learn in anyway," Kimiko shrugged nonchalantly.

"What led you to the decision?"

"Seeing innocent people slaughtered before my eyes."

The way she said it, so casually, Yamamoto wasn't sure at first if she was being serious and there was a moment of dead silence.

"Girl, do you speak the truth?" one of the other examiners voice rang out.

"I was ten when it happened," Kimiko nodded. "Being the king's ward and all, when it happened it became a widely known story."

This was followed by another long silence.

"You're all wondering if I'm mentally unstable after witnessing such things at such a young age," Kimiko observed with a heavy sigh.

"It is a valid concern," Yamamoto commented.

"Of course," Kimiko agreed. "And it would present a reason to monitor me if you are concerned, but not reason to discriminate. I am _not_ mentally unstable, after all. I am set in my resolve and determined. I know my limitations and shortcomings; and I know if I was given the chance, I would be able to overcome some of them and become a great shinigami."

"The year that you are entering into has a high number of very promising individuals. What already learned skills do you bring to the academy?"

"If you would permit me?" the formality of her words and actions as she bowed and came forward seemed foreign even to these three who didn't know her.

When she was at a safe distance, Kimiko reached for Kiyoshi's hilt at her back, which all of the examiners had noticed, and unsheathed the beautiful blade before holding the katana out with both hands in a very unthreatening manner.

Simply by looking at it, Yamamoto could see that this was a zanpakutou.

"Is that yours child?" Yamamoto held out his hands to receive it.

Kimiko nodded and handed Kiyoshi to him.

Yamamoto was surprised by the warning jolt that came from the katana once Kimiko's hands left it. He was also surprised by the weight, or lack of weight, of it.

This spirit had an attitude, loyalty; it was a fighting spirit, and a strong one at that. It had seen war and blood, but was not burdened by guilt.

"Your zanpakutou has a name, I presume?"

"Kiyoshi,"

"A shikai?"

Kimiko shook her head. "We don't know how to reach it yet. As I said, there's no one willing to train us."

"How long have you had Kiyoshi?"

"Since I was six, sir,"

There were gasps of surprise from the two hidden examiners.

"So young," one spoke.

"If you really had no formal training as you have said," Yamamoto began. "How did you manage to summon a zanpakutou so young? Even the best of us usually, only achieve summons once we are teenagers."

Kimiko shrugged. "I don't really know all the how's and why's of it. Kiyoshi appeared before me and he was my only friend. Some time later I found out that I was the only one who could hear or see him and so he had me summon him as proof that I wasn't crazy. Kiyoshi is my companion, he isn't just my katana, perhaps that is why?"

Yamamoto studied her for a moment.

This girl had, at the tender age of six, had a better understanding of her sword than any of his current students, and the majority of his subordinates.

…and he couldn't even sense her reiatsu.

"Inari-san, would you permit me to conduct a reiatsu test?" Yamamoto wondered, handing the zanpakutou back and feeling it momentarily leap in greeting and contentment at being back in his mistress's hands.

Kimiko nodded, re-sheathing Kiyoshi.

He results of that test amazed them.

There was no doubt that this girl had an incredible reiatsu strength-wise, not to mention the best control of it they had ever seen. That combined with her already summoned zanpakutou, and they knew they couldn't _not_ permit her entrance to the academy.

* * *

While Zentaro conversed with Yamamoto, Kimiko went for a walk, getting to know the feel of the building in which she hoped to be studying in in the coming school year.

With the majority of the current students in class, the halls were silent and calm.

Kimiko felt the gentle brush of a benevolent reiatsu and couldn't help but be compelled to follow it.

She stopped when she heard whispered voices.

"I think I felt someone coming," one hissed.

There was a pause.

"There's no one there, Shiro-chan," came the drawled reply.

"We're going to get in trouble," the first voice, annoyed now.

"Not if we don't get caught," the cheeky retort.

"Genryuusai-sensei will be able to read our reiatsu all over the thing."

"Quit being a girl. You only live once."

There was another silence.

"Can you smell cinnamon?" the first voice wondered and Kimiko started, he was sensing her.

"No, are you coming down with something again?"

"No! Let me have a look?"

At that, Kimiko moved quickly, for the first time in her life trying to find a place to hide.

'_**You are hiding, why are you hiding**_?' Kiyoshi frowned.

'_I don't know_,' Kimiko was frowning herself.

Why had she felt the need to hide?

**

* * *

A/N: **where were all my reviews last chapter? *pout* review, review...**  
**


	11. Part Two, Day One

**Disclaimer applies.**

**A/N:** and so, the beginnings of Jyuushiro and Shunsui's first year together. I apologise for the long delay in posting this…majority of the chapter has been sitting on my computer for something like two months but you know how time gets away from you…

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PART TWO – FIRST YEARS

JYUUSHIRO & SHUNSUI

DAY ONE

Stepping through the gates and looking around, Jyuushiro could barely contain his excitement.

He was actually here.

It had taken a lot of persuasion to convince his parents, but he was here nonetheless.

Jyuushiro spotted Yamamoto standing watching as returning students greeted each other and new students were instructed what to do, and he couldn't help but grin at the image.

He imagined Yamamoto would always have the same commanding presence about him, even in another millennia.

That thought soon lead to the smile fading from his face as he recalled the doctor's examination Yamamoto had requested upon learning of Jyuushiro's illness.

A hundred years at least, two hundred at the very most. His parents hadn't taken it well at all; but when it came right down to it, they wanted him to enjoy what time he had and have no regrets.

With the doctor's dispassionate blessing, Yamamoto had agreed to allow Jyuushiro into the academy on scholarship under the conditions that he keep good grades and kept the scholarship strictly private.

They had all agreed that it would be best not to tell the other students about either his illness nor the scholarship, so as to avoid any sense of favoritism; only the teachers and nursing staff would be aware of it.

Yamamoto caught his eye and signaled him over.

"Yamamoto Taicho," Jyuushiro grinned and bowed in greeting.

"Jyuushiro-kun," Yamamoto was as stoic as ever. "You are lucky this year. There is an uneven number of boys in your year and you have been given a room to yourself. Your sensei are all aware of your condition, as are the infirmary, along with the conditions surrounding your education here. The sensei will not be easy on you. If you are not well enough to attend class, we expect you to go and see a doctor."

"Hai," Jyuushiro nodded.

"I have high hopes for you then, Jyuushiro-kun," Yamamoto signaled to someone behind Jyuushiro. "Shinobu-kun, please see Jyuushiro-kun to his room, I expect you to be his student mentor for the year."

"Of course, Genryuusai-sensei," Shinobu nodded and smiled at Jyuushiro, indicating for him to follow.

"I am Shiba Shinobu by the way. I know the name is rather painful sounding," Shinobu introduced himself with a roll of his eyes as they walked. "I am a sixth year but my ototo will be in your year level."

"Ukitake Jyuushiro, pleased to meet you, I'll have to make sure to greet your ototo."

"Ukitake…I don't believe I know that name."

"We aren't particularly high class."

"Then prepare to be snubbed by a number of the high noble-born students here," Shinobu warned. "My ototo won't be a problem though. We Shiba don't like to get too far above ourselves, it doesn't inspire much loyalty or comradeship. Here we are, this year's first year dorms; you'll be here for the rest of your stay at the academy, though rooming changes. Sixth years are the floor above if you ever need anything. Look out for the sign that says your name."

Jyuushiro spotted a number of high noble-ke names on the door signs as he was passing them.

"Is this you?" Shinobu pointed.

Jyuushiro nodded.

"You are right down the end," Shinobu observed. "Leave your bag and take your key, I will show you around."

"You don't need to do that," Jyuushiro protested, frowning. "I'm sure you have better things to do then show me around."

"It is the first day back so not really," Shinobu grinned and shrugged. "Besides Genryuusai-sensei made me your mentor, ne? So it is my duty to show you the school in order to avoid you getting lost."

With that logic, Jyuushiro couldn't argue.

He left the single bag he had brought with him and picked up his key, locking his door behind him.

"Now, the infirmary is closest," Shinobu pointed down the hall. "Just through the door at the end there. It connects to multiple buildings and is fairly central to the entire school."

They continued on their tour.

* * *

Shunsui couldn't believe it.

He was actually here.

He groaned as he squinted around the place.

The noisy chaos of the main entrance was giving him even more of a headache.

He probably shouldn't have had so much to drink the night before, but his whole situation was just plain depressing…he had kind of been hoping he would wake up this morning and find it had all just been a horrible, horrible nightmare of a dream.

He just could not believe he was here.

"Shunsui-sama," one of the Kyouraku servants rejoined him. "We have located your room for you; we will take your baggage there, but apparently you are required to stay and take a tour with your student mentor."

Shunsui made a complaining sound of acknowledgement.

"Who is my mentor?"

"That would be I,"

Shunsui faced an older boy he recognized but didn't know.

He groaned inwardly…a Kuchiki, they had stuck him with a boring-ass Kuchiki.

* * *

"You're my roommate I guess?" Shunsui raised an eyebrow at the kid already setting his things up in the room.

Shunsui had managed to momentarily avoid his tour with the Kuchiki prick by claiming he wanted to get settled in his room before anything else.

The tosser had actually accompanied Shunsui to the room and said he had fifteen minutes.

"Hai," the kid nodded.

"Why do you look familiar?"

"I am Yamamoto Hachirou. My nii-sama is married to your aneki."

"Ah, that explains it then," the teen did look a little like Mei's husband now that he thought about it; it also explained why the poor soul had been stuck with Shunsui as a roommate.

'_**Poor kid**_,' a voice in Shunsui's mind snickered.

Hachirou looked like the serious kind, with his short, neat black samurai ponytail and immaculate uniform.

Yamamoto had probably hoped that having his grandson rooming with Shunsui would be a good influence…well Yama-jii was in for a shock then, there wasn't any _way_ Shunsui was going to be a good boy.

That voice snickered again.

A Kuchiki-ke mentor and a Yamamoto for a roommate; they were pulling out all the stops.

"Well, I'm off for my tour then," Shunsui grinned and turned away.

"B-but you mentor is meant to be the one to take you for your tour, he said he would be returning…" Hachirou trailed off helplessly.

"Hmmm, but I don't like my mentor," Shunsui said over his shoulder before he left the sputtering kid behind. "I wonder where the girls' dorms are…?"

* * *

Peeking out from under his lashes, Shunsui located the commotion that had disturbed his nap, his head still throbbing painfully with his hangover.

A white haired boy was at the centre of it, smiling politely.

You could see just by looking at this kid that he was going to be the straitlaced kind, a goody-goody to his core, the teacher's pet.

Shunsui already didn't like the boy.

He didn't _look_ noble, though his pretty features made Shunsui think that perhaps he could be distantly related to the Kuchiki-ke. He was already dressed in his pristine robes and he looked weak as a newborn pup…Hachirou had had more meat on him.

Shunsui shrugged ever so slightly.

The kid had to be noble even if he didn't look it.

'_**Someone has to be pulling the strings for that one**_,' the voice whispered to Shunsui again. '_**He seems far too delicate to be here on his own merit…I want to play with him**_,' that comment was entirely wicked. '_**He'll be **_**very**_** fun to play with**_.'

The group was passing him as the thought finished and the white haired boy in question turned hazel eyes to his, spotting him despite the dark shadow Shunsui had purposely hidden in…freakily enough, Shunsui got the impression the boy had known somehow that he was there.

"Ohayo," the kid grinned, waving in a friendly manner.

Shunsui grunted a response and stood when it looked as if the boy was going to speak again, moving off.

* * *

Jyuushiro frowned slightly, perplexed, as he watched the taller teen leave.

"Do not mind him," Hachirou spoke. "That is Kyouraku Shunsui. He is my roommate. My onii-sama told me he was forced into coming here because he was causing trouble at home. Ojii-sama seems to be the only one expecting anything out of him."

Jyuushiro's frown deepened a little more at that comment.

'One rarely does anything if one is not expected to,' spoke the tiny, echoed voice Jyuushiro had been growing accustomed to hearing over the last few years.

'_**But that one should have a lot expected of him**_,' the echoes went on. '_**It can be felt plain as day in his reiatsu alone that he is capable of amazing feets**_.'

Jyuushiro agreed silently.

His new classmate had potential. Forced here or not, he had to have _something_ to allow him entry to the academy in the first place, and that meant he was right where he belonged…

"Kyouraku-san?"

Before he knew it, Jyuushiro was in front of Shunsui, smiling widely.

"I'm Ukitake Jyuushiro, I'm your new classmate, it's nice to meet you,"

Shunsui simply raised disbelieving eyebrows at him.

Jyuushiro continued to smile unwaveringly.

That smile was unnerving.

"Yeah, sure," Shunsui acknowledged, frowning.

The smile fell away from Jyuushiro's eyes, though it still didn't falter in its friendliness, and unwavering hazel studied his face for a moment.

"I hear you're Hachirou-san's roommate," Jyuushiro grinned again and lowered his voice in a way that suggested they were sharing a secret. "I don't think he'll be able to handle you, so you may want to go a little easy on him at first."

"Eh?" Shunsui blinked, confused…was this kid suggesting he was into…

"You're a prankster, right?" Jyuushiro blinked, picking up on Shunsui's discomfort.

Shunsui relaxed automatically.

"Kid, shouldn't you learn to respect your elders and keep your nose out of my business?" Shunsui raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Elders," Jyuushiro made a face. "You can't be that much older than me."

"Just turned seventeen, I've been told I'm the oldest in our year."

"Not by much then, I'll be the same in a few short months," Jyuushiro grinned again.

Shunsui felt his eye tick in the presence of that grin.

This kid was annoying.

"You sure don't look your age then,"

"What? The white hair isn't doing its job?" Jyuushiro raised his eyebrows and blinked innocently.

"Just makes you look like a tosser,"

Jyuushiro blinked at the term.

"Personally, I don't think you'll make it here 'til your birthday," Shunsui smirked, the voice in his head cooing with excitement as Jyuushiro gave as good as he got.

The annoying grin returned full force.

"I'll take that as a challenge, Kyouraku-san," Jyuushiro returned pleasantly. "But, _personally_, I think I'll be wiping the floor with your curls."

With that, Jyuushiro rejoined his newfound friends.

"That…" Shunsui couldn't think of a sufficient word to release his annoyance at the present second. "I'd like to see his weak ass make me lose my balance let alone anything else."

On the other hand, Jyuushiro was grinning inwardly.

He just found himself a rival…

"Ukitake-san, what was that about?"

"Nothing really, just saying hello," Jyuushiro smiled...

**

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A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this, I hope it wasn't a disappointment in any way…review and tell me?


	12. Friendship Forms

My heart goes out to the Japanese people in their time of sadness...

**Disclaimer always applies.**

**A/N:** okay, so miracle of miracles I've done a fair amount of writing for this fic in the last week or so, I got this chapter up way sooner than I thought I was going to...it just sort of flowed out...and it's a bloody lot longer than usual so enjoy it and review...

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PART TWO – FIRST YEARS

JYUUSHIRO & SHUNSUI

FFRIENDSHIP FORMS

In the following weeks, as the academy settled into being full again and the students settled into their new class routines, Shunsui came to see Jyuushiro as a know-it-all as well as a goody-two-shoes and teacher's pet.

Jyuushiro had introduced himself to all of his sensei and classmates on the first day. He always completed his assigned work and was well versed in whatever topic they covered in their classes.

When it came to academics, it became apparent quite quickly to Shunsui that he would actually have to put in some effort if he wanted to show Jyuushiro up at all.

The thought didn't really appeal to him, but considering the fact that the kid never seemed to show any sort of reaction to the various small pranks Shunsui pulled on him, it was getting to be even more irritating which had brought it down to two options. Pull bigger pranks which would get him into enough trouble that he may not be able to continue to pull any pranks (and since he appeared to be stuck indefinitely at the academy, he didn't want his fun taken away); or option two, find a way to show Jyuushiro up in class.

It was plainly obvious that most of the students in their year level were incompetent idiots, so it wasn't going to be hard to get ahead of them; but Jyuushiro still seemed ridiculously smart in comparison.

It was also obvious just by looking at the kid that when they got to the more practical side of their studies, he wouldn't be so far ahead anymore. Shunsui had no doubt that once they got to the practical it would be easy to show up the teachers' favourite…but Shunsui had never been known to have a lot of patience.

…and really, if he wasn't noble, Jyuushiro couldn't have a very high reiatsu either, just as several of their lower born classmates had already proven.

And so Shunsui reluctantly decided to put in a little effort.

Their first round of tests, Shunsui was the first to finish every one of them and scored next to perfect in every one of his subjects.

Jyuushiro still did better.

That was when the sensei began to question him, accusing him of cheating.

It angered him, but he shrugged it off with ease. He knew he wasn't a cheat.

Then the day finally came when Shunsui got fed up.

Armed with a smoke bomb, he was determined to get Jyuushiro riled up.

The class had grown used to his pranks as quickly as they had grown used to Jyuushiro's coughing over the weeks.

However; disappointment of disappointments, Jyuushiro managed to take the wind out of his sails when he didn't even show up for class.

It was peculiar really, the way the sensei just skipped over his name when taking attendance, completely ignoring the fact that when anyone else was even a little late to a class they were questioned and put on detention.

"I could hear him coughing last night," one of their classmates whispered nearby Shunsui. "It sounded pretty bad. I was going to go and check on him but he seemed to stop before I could."

'_**Curious**_,' murmured the voice in Shunsui's mind. '_**He has them all eating out of the palm of his hand**_.'

Jyuushiro didn't show up to any of their classes that day; but he was back the next one.

He was even paler than normal and his voice sounded strained, but he just smiled and waved it all off as nothing more than a frog in his throat.

'_**He's lying**_,' clarified the voice.

It was all too obvious that the kid didn't look well, but as he looked around, Shunsui saw that he was the only one among his peers who seemed to suspect that Jyuushiro was lying.

'_**We need to know the truth**_,' the voice stated.

The following morning, Shunsui set off his dust bomb in kidou theory class.

Panic erupted.

'_**I don't hear any coughing**_,'

Shunsui silently agreed.

As the dust flying every which way in the room began to settle and clear, Shunsui spotted the white haired teen talking in low tones to their sensei, his hand lingering near his mouth.

Shunsui had to admit, the kid had lost so much colour that his skin tone appeared strangely yellow and transparent.

Ochi-sensei nodded and before the dust had fully settled, Jyuushiro had made a discreet getaway.

"Kyouraku," all eyes moved to him.

He shrugged innocently.

"Why do you always assume it was me? Seems like Ukitake is the only one that made an escape,"

"To get water because the dust upset his cough," Ochi stated.

It sure paid to be the teacher's pet, Shunsui rolled his eyes with the observation. He couldn't even plant suspicion in the sensei's mind.

'_**Which means he knows what's going on**_,'

Shunsui's eyebrow twitched up thoughtfully.

An hour later, Jyuushiro was back in their next class. Some of his colour was back but there was a tightness to his mouth that suggested he wasn't recovered.

* * *

As the week progressed, Shunsui continued to watch Jyuushiro carefully.

He watched at meals as the skinny kid discreetly consumed ridiculous amounts of food that Shunsui didn't think was normal.

He watched in class as Jyuushiro diligently took notes and asked questions.

He even went to the extent of following Jyuushiro and his friends to the library a few nights after dinner.

When his friends left to bathe, Jyuushiro always stayed back to do extra study; staying until the on-duty scholar came up and told him it was time to leave.

Jyuushiro seemed to disappear after that.

Shunsui had assumed he would go to the bathhouse, but there was no sign of him there.

The following night, Shunsui fell asleep in the baths and was quite startled when he opened his eyes to see Jyuushiro sitting opposite him in the water, staring at him expectantly.

Silence stretched between them.

"You know," Jyuushiro finally spoke. "If you want to make friends, you should probably try talking to people rather than just following them around."

Shunsui raised a lazy eyebrow.

"I'm not here to make friends,"

"Hmmmm," Jyuushiro continued to watch him, his gaze analytical. "Then why have you been staring so much? I know from the whispers of the girls that you don't fancy men."

Shunsui felt his lips twitch at the mention of the female students.

Jyuushiro rolled his eyes at the satisfied smirk that was tugging at Shunsui's lips.

"I'm trying to work something out,"

"Oh?" Jyuushiro questioned in interest.

"Yeah, you're hiding something and I'm determined to find out what," Shunsui confessed.

Jyuushiro's eyebrows went up but he showed no other reaction.

Then that annoying grin made its appearance.

"I think you give me too much credit, Kyouraku-san," he said. "I'm not very good at lying."

Shunsui continued to study the other teen.

And Jyuushiro continued to stare right back.

"I still believe you are hiding something big," Shunsui finally shrugged. "And I'm still determined to find out what it is."

"Is that the reason you targeted me for all of your pranks?" Jyuushiro wondered.

Shunsui shrugged again, this time nonchalantly.

"That was purely for my own entertainment."

"Were you expecting me to get upset? Or was I meant to fight back?" Jyuushiro tilted his head to the side curiously.

Shunsui didn't know. "Some kind of reaction would have been nice," he admitted.

"That's what I thought," the annoying grin came back. "I also thought that if you wanted me to fight back, you needed to do better than what you've done so far," challenge twinkled in his eyes. "I _know_ you're smarter than that."

That irked Shunsui.

"What makes you think I'm smart?" Shunsui questioned lazily.

"The fact that without hardly trying you're giving me a challenge academically. Imagine if you actually tried to study rather than just disrupted the class,"

"I'm not a 'study' kind of guy,"

"Exactly my point," Jyuushiro grinned again.

"Am I to take all of this as a challenge?" Shunsui raised an eyebrow.

Jyuushiro chuckled. "Unfortunately I don't have the resources to challenge you to a prank war; I can only challenge you to an academic one."

"Resources? But you're here aren't you?" Shunsui was surprised. "Are you illegitimate or something?"

"No, very much legitimate, just exceedingly lucky to be here considering my family isn't high ranked or rich."

"Not…?" Shunsui blinked. "Then what are you doing here? And you do know that casually admitting such things will lose you friends? Nobles are snobs."

"Yes, a number of people have already expressed their…unhappiness about my presence here. But I'm here because I want to be."

"Why?"

"Why what?" Jyuushiro blinked in confusion.

"Why would you want to be here?"

"Because I have the ability to make something of my life," Jyuushiro shrugged. "Wasting one's life means they had a pointless existence."

"You sound like a philosophical old fart."

Jyuushiro chuckled in amusement. "My ototo has accused me of something similar once or twice."

Jyuushiro kept smiling, but thoughts of his family made homesickness clench in his gut.

Shunsui noticed the change immediately.

"What happened to your ototo?"

"Eh?" Jyuushiro was startled. "Nothing happened to him. Why would you think such a thing?"

"You seemed…" Shunsui shrugged helplessly, the word not coming to him.

"…homesick?" Jyuushiro supplied.

Shunsui frowned at the concept.

"What…you don't miss home at all?" Jyuushiro frowned.

"Not at all," Shunsui shook his head. "There's not really anything there for me to miss."

Silence fell between them.

Finally, Jyuushiro sighed and moved to exit the bath.

"It's past curfew," he stated.

Shunsui followed.

Jyuushiro had dried himself off and was pulling on his sleeping yukata when Shunsui spotted the bruising along his skinny side.

"What ran into you?

"Eh?" Jyuushiro glanced down at the fading bruises and his expression shadowed. "Nothing. I got clumsy and tripped. I bruise easily otherwise it wouldn't look worse than it was."

Shunsui frowned. The kid was right, he was a terrible liar.

Shunsui followed Jyuushiro back to the dorms.

"How'd you manage to get a room all to yourself? I bet a lot of the snooty kids here had their parents run through all kinds of hoops in order to get one," he wondered.

"Not that you ever noticed, but there is an uneven number of boys in our year, so I guess it was just luck of the draw," Jyuushiro shrugged dismissively.

There was some truth to that statement at least.

"Sounds like you're a lucky guy," Shunsui commented as they were parting ways.

He thought he heard Jyuushiro mutter, "you have no idea," right before he closed the shoji between them…but he could have been wrong.

* * *

The following day, Jyuushiro lead his friends to sit with Shunsui; in class, at meals, in the library.

Conversation in their group drifted, varying in importance and relevance, but Shunsui kept finding himself drawn into the chatter.

Jyuushiro's friends were a varying bunch.

Most of the academy was made up of second-born sons and cousins to noble families, and Jyuushiro had a mix of them all; even the more stuck up high-borns in their year would join them from time to time.

Shunsui also found himself somewhat jealous of the way the girls treated the other teen.

While he would admit he was a shameless flirt, he always had to seek the girls out. With Jyuushiro, they came to him despite the fact that the kid didn't seem to know the meaning of the word.

The white-haired teen seemed to naturally draw people in with his annoying friendly smile and ability to remember everything about everyone. Jyuushiro had a very honest, very open personality which was what really made Shunsui that much more interested in solving the puzzle that surrounded Ukitake Jyuushiro.

* * *

When Jyuushiro hung back at the library, Shunsui stayed with him.

"It will be boring for you to stay," Jyuushiro commented as he sifted through some notes.

"Why do you stay back?"

"I don't get everything I need done when everyone else is here," Jyuushiro shrugged and scratched at his distractedly.

"You actually work?"

"Of course, not all of us are as naturally intelligent as you are."

Shunsui blinked at that comment.

A short silence stretched between them as Jyuushiro did his work and Shunsui sat by.

"So why do you sit with them all if they only distract you?" Shunsui finally wondered.

"Why the inquisition?" Jyuushiro glanced up briefly. "If you must know, I had a rather lonely childhood until my siblings were born, so surrounding myself with friends is a nice change."

Shunsui paused.

"You know they'd all turn on you if the occasion were to arise?"

Jyuushiro shrugged, not even bothering to look up from his work.

"Blood is thicker than water, right? I don't doubt what you say in the least; but I can appreciate the charade while it lasts."

"That's rather detached of you," Shunsui frowned.

"It's easy to move on from things if there isn't much attachment."

"And that's rather ominous."

Jyuushiro shrugged yet again and his gaze locked on Shunsui's.

"We're here to become shinigami. How may of us do you really think will survive a decade let alone a century once we get out of here? We aren't all Genryuusai-sensei after all."

He said it so calmly that all Shunsui could really do was stare.

Jyuushiro covered a cough, frowned slightly as he rubbed at his chest and then went back to his work.

"You really do have a nasty sounding cough," Shunsui observed.

"It has its moments, but seriously Kyouraku-kun, why all the questions?"

Shunsui shrugged. "Shunsui."

"Eh?"

"I don't fancy being called Kyouraku, so call me Shunsui."

Jyuushiro smiled slightly. "You should probably call me Jyuushiro then, Shunsui-kun, but still, the questions?"

Shunsui shrugged again. "Like I said, I'm determined to figure you out."

* * *

The next day, Jyuushiro was absent from class again.

Once more, the sensei ignored it.

For the first time, Jyuushiro's absence stretched out to three days, and his peers were turning on him.

"This is ridiculous," a Kuchiki cousin groused in between classes on the third day. "He's no one special. Why is he getting special treatment?"

"Oi," Shunsui interrupted. "Ukitake isn't the kind to miss class for no reason, you should all know that by now."

The Kuchiki blinked in surprise, then got all huffy and his nose went higher in the air.

He wouldn't go against someone of higher birthright and Shunsui was that, for once glad to be a Kyouraku.

"That still doesn't tell us why they put up with it," someone else piped up.

"I'm sure there's a good reason behind it," Shunsui tried to placate them all.

"Then do share it with us,"

Shunsui almost wished he remembered their names…

"It is great that the low-born among us has such high-born nobility on his side; a pure-blooded Kyouraku cluelessly defending him and all.

Shunsui frowned at that.

"I'm surprised none of you are defending him. You all pretend to be his friend when he is here and it is convenient for you," he shot back. "You're all a bunch of phonies."

Now the class really did back off.

Shunsui continued to frown…why _was_ he the only one standing up to defend Jyuushiro? They weren't really friends, were they?

"Kyouraku-sama," the quiet kid whose name Shunsui also didn't remember sat beside him.

"Nani?"

"I think it is good, what you did for Ukitake-san," the kid blushed and wouldn't meet Shunsui's eyes as he spoke. "He has done the same for you many times over."

"_Nani_?" Shunsui sat up, frowning in confusion. "Why would he be defending me?"

The kid looked startled.

"The class, they kept saying nasty things about you and your father and Ukitake-san told them off and asked them not to slander other people they know nothing about when they weren't around to defend themselves."

"Well, that explains a thing or two…" Shunsui remembered their conversation. "But still, why would he do something like that for me?"

"Kyouraku-sama, I think that is just the kind of person Ukitake-san is,"

"What's your name again kid?"

"Hamasaki Kanata,"

"Which family do you come from?"

"Shihoin,"

"No way," Shunsui blinked in surprise, but finally placed the yellow eyes. "You look nothing like a Shihoin."

The scrawny kid shrugged. "We don't all keep the distinctive features, especially the further we get from being part of the main family."

"What's a member of the shinobi nobles doing _here_?"

"I have never been very good at the shinobi arts. This is my family's last ditch effort to make me useful."

Shunsui snorted. "This is my family's first and last ditch effort to make me do anything."

Kanata grinned. "We have all heard the rumors, Kyouraku-sama."

"Drop the –sama?"

Kanata nodded.

"You're friends with Ukitake?"

"I guess so," Kanata nodded.

"You guess?"

The kid nodded again. "He is a friendly sort of person. Between Shiba-san and I we take him notes for the classes he misses."

"Why aren't you and Shiba defending him then?"

Kanata blushed brightly again.

"Shiba-san is with his aniki or he probably would have said something. I…cannot talk back to my superiors."

"I think we'll need to cure you of that," Shunsui promised. "Why do you think Ukitake misses classes?"

Kanata paused.

"I think it has something to do with his health," he finally admitted. "He never looks well if he has taken a day off. Last time he could barely speak, so I think sometimes it has something to do with his cough."

"You sure?"

"Not at all," Kanata shook his head vigorously. "That is just what I suspect. Mostly I just think he is prone to illness, he seemed to have a fever when we went past last night."

* * *

Shunsui went with Kanata that afternoon to hand over the class notes.

They arrived as one of the infirmary staff was exiting the teen's room.

"Sensei?" Kanata was frowning worriedly. "Is Ukitake-san alright?"

The sensei sighed heavily.

"The foolish kid is going to kill himself if he does not learn to pace himself."

"What's wrong with him?" Shunsui asked.

"I am not at liberty to discus this with you."

"Even though we are his friends?" Kanata tried again.

There was that word again…friends…

"Kids, in this academy, Yamamoto Soitaicho is the rule. What he says goes, and he said no one," the sensei glared at them. "Now, Jyuushiro is determined to be back in class tomorrow, I suggest you do what you came to do and leave him be," with that he departed.

Kanata knocked quietly at the shoji.

When there was no answer, Shunsui pushed the door back himself and entered uninvited.

"Ah, Kyouraku-san?" Kanata stumbled in after him. "It is rude to…" he trailed off.

They found Jyuushiro sprawled on his futon, fast asleep.

His skin seemed translucent and gaunt, and it was almost a relief to see that he was breathing unevenly.

"Guess you're right," Shunsui told Kanata. "Definitely his health."

Jyuushiro stirred and his eyes opened blearily.

"Shunsui? Kanata?" his voice was hoarse and he leant up on his elbows. "What are you doing here?"

"Class notes," Kanata held out the papers.

"Ah, arigato," Jyuuhsiro sat the rest of the way up slowly, and took them with shaking hands, laying them aside.

"You don't seem well," Shunsui sat himself down, crossing his legs and getting comfortable.

Jyuushiro made a noise of acknowledgement in his throat which then had him cringing as he coughed wetly into his fist.

"That sounded painful," Kanata knelt down beside Shunsui, frowning in concern again.

"Ah," Jyuushiro acknowledged hoarsely. "It's been acting up the last few days."

"So this is why you miss classes?" Shunsui wondered. "Because of your cough?"

"Among other things," Jyuushiro nodded hesitantly.

"You must have some very bad fits if they have you bedridden?" Kanata added.

Jyuushiro just nodded again.

He swallowed painfully and opened his mouth to speak, only to cough again.

"Gomen," he finally spoke as his cough calmed. "I don't mean to be rude, but I should rest some more."

"Of course, do you need anything?" Kanata asked as he stood.

Jyuushiro just shook his head.

As promised, Jyuushiro was back the following day for their tests.

* * *

Their following lot of tests, it was clear spending time with Jyuushiro was rubbing off on Shunsui when he overtook Jyuushiro in half of their classes.

Hosanaki-sensei handed back their results before boldly accusing Shunsui of cheating.

Jyuushiro startled everyone when he stood.

"But Kyouraku-san is actually much smarter than he lets on," he interrupted the sensei's spiel. "If he overtook me then it isn't because he cheated."

Dead silence rang in the classroom.

Jyuushiro continued to stand there, completely unfazed by the attention; his features suggesting that he was entirely serious about what he was saying.

"Ukitake-kun," Hosanaki-sensei started, reprimand in his voice.

"I'm serious sensei," Jyuushiro cut him off again. "Kyouraku isn't an idiot, and you can't accuse him of cheating without any proof."

Jyuushiro had picked a bad day to talk back to their sensei.

Hosanaki was in no mood for it.

"Ukitake, Yamamoto's office, _now_!"

Jyuushiro didn't even blink, he only picked up his things and made his way out of the classroom.

'_**We like this kid**_,' came the very shocked inner voice. '_**We really **_**do**_** see him as a friend**_.'

Shunsui frowned, confused.

He didn't know _when_ it had happened, but he had already begun to think of Jyuushiro as a friend.

It didn't take anymore than that realization for Shunsui to also pick up his things and, without a word, follow Jyuushiro out of the classroom.

"Shunsui?" Jyuushiro blinked up at him.

"Can't let you take all the blame. This is a stupid thing to get in trouble over."

Jyuushiro just grinned in response.

Shunsui's eye ticked. That grin was no less annoying, yet now he didn't seem to mind its presence as much.

"Jyuushiro?"

"Ne?"

"Are we friends?"

Jyuushiro chuckled. "But of course Kyouraku-san. We're the best kind because it was slow to take root but swift in growth once those roots were planted. But I never saw you as an enemy, so there was no doubt I could grow to see you as a friend."

A warm feeling spread in Shunsui's gut and it was a moment before he realized he was grinning back and the feeling was pleasure. He had a friend he knew his father would never be able to take from him.

"Does that mean you'll tell me the truth about why you miss classes?"

Jyuushiro turned momentarily serious. "I'm afraid you aren't ready to hear that truth."

Moments later they were sitting side-by-side in Yamomoto's office, their united front somewhat telling enough.

Jyuushiro explained what had happened and Yamamoto sat patiently and listened.

"Jyuushiro-kun, Shunsui is not becoming a bad influence on you, is he?" Yamamoto spoke when Jyuushiro was done. "Because you know we can only be so lenient with you."

Jyuushiro's cheeks flushed.

"He is not sir," he replied confidently. "Hosanaki-sensei was out of line, slandering my friend like that and I couldn't help but say something. We both know Kyouraku would see cheating as too much effort, right Shunsui?" he faced Shunsui.

Shunsui's cheeks heated under the combined gaze of Yamamoto and Jyuushiro.

"Shunsui?" Jyuushiro prodded.

Yamamoto broke the preceding silence.

"I know Shunsui does not see fit to put effort into his studies," he spoke solemnly. "Which is why no further issue has been made regarding Shunsui's grades suddenly matching yours, despite his continued failure to turn in work in class."

"You knew going in that I didn't want to be here," Shunsui reminded, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly.

Yamamoto only nodded and a brief silence reigned.

"Jyuushiro, I assume it is your influence?"

"I don't think so sensei, Kyouraku was already doing well before we became friends."

Yamamoto's gaze shifted between them.

"The two of you are certainly going to be formidable together," he finally stated.

"Eh?" Shunsui and Jyuushiro glanced at each other, startled.

"You may leave now."

As the shoji was shut behind them, the teen's exchanged a look of complete bafflement.

"Yama-jii is a weird one," Shunsui finally said and they both burst into laughter.

Jyuushiro's eyes lit up.

"Come with me, I have an idea," he hurried off, Shunsui following out of curiosity.

Going into his room, Jyuushiro dropped his things on his folded futon and rummaged through this trunk sitting in the corner.

"I was saving this for a rainy day," Jyuushiro spoke over his shoulder. "It was a going away present from one of my ototo. But it seems appropriate to use it now. You can put your stuff down you know."

Shunsui couldn't help but chuckled when he saw what Jyuushiro had pulled out.

"Firecrackers, Shiro-chan, aren't you a sneaky one?"

"They're better than just firecrackers," Jyuushiro's smile was pure mischief. "These particular firecrackers can only be started with a particular little kidou spell and since no one in our year knows kidou yet, the blame wont come straight to us."

"We start practical next week, how do you propose we start them?" Shunsui's eyebrows went up.

"I have a little confession to make," Jyuushiro's eyes twinkled. "It just so happens that I know the little kidou spell we need."

"I think I read you all wrong," Shunsui was surprised by the admission. "How much kidou do you know? And who here knows?"

"I only know a few bits and pieces, mostly stuff that keeps my siblings entertained. And only Genryuusai-sensei, he's been helping me with it."

Shunsui grinned. "Settled then, let's go. You light, I'll throw and then we run like hell and hide."

Jyuushiro grinned and nodded.

Classes were well and truly interrupted for the rest of the day, and just as Jyuushiro had predicted, blame didn't come to them.

At dinner that evening they could feel Yamamoto's gaze on them, a knowing look in his eyes…as well as an almost perfectly hidden smile.

The two shared a grin, they were getting away with it this time.

"I'm famished," Jyuushiro then professed as they sat across from Kanata and Shiba Niito and proceeded to devour everything placed in front of him.

"Seriously, how do you stay so skinny when you eat so much?" Shunsui demanded.

Shunsui himself ate far more than the average person in Seireitei, but Jyuushiro well and truly put him to shame.

Jyuushiro's only response was to shrug.

**

* * *

A/N:** ...review! ...pretty please?


	13. Secrets Revealed

**Disclaimer applies.**

**A/N:** so, next chapter...so the younger Shiba brother in this fic is named Niito, if you don't remember...

* * *

PART TWO – FIRST YEARS

JYUUSHIRO & SHUNSUI

SECRETS REVEALED

The beginning of practical classes proved interesting.

Jyuushiro was easily the best at kidou, but Shunsui was catching on fast, he just needed to find a better way to not get the words to the different spells confused (not to mention the accidentally blasting reiatsu).

On the plus side, Shunsui was still one of the best, the students in general all seeming to believe that blasting their reiatsu helped charge the spells…unfortunately it didn't work that easily.

The more Jyuushiro was called on to show how it was done, the more resentment Shunsui saw building in the eyes of their noble classmates.

"If they can control their reiatsu enough to blast it, they should be able to control it enough to put it into their kidou spell," Jyuushiro whispered to Shunsui in the middle of one particularly draining lesson. "It's as if this is just some kind of ego boost for them."

With the comment in mind, that class was the first lesson Shunsui managed to successfully cast a kidou spell…even if it wasn't perfect…

"Kidou is too much effort," he decided after that, despite the proud smile on his face.

They had also started learning how to use bokken.

The katas were extremely generic and boring, but Shunsui thought it was well worth it once they were paired off and got to fight each other.

Their sensei had them paired based on height and build, but when Jyuushiro had "accidentally" snapped his partner's bokken, Shunsui had been in fits.

That had made their sensei decide to pair Jyuushiro and Shunsui together.

As usual, they gave each other as good as they got.

Jyuushiro wasn't used to using a weapon, nor moving and using one at the same time, but Shunsui enjoyed it all the more because the white haired teen still put up a hell of a fight.

The more comfortable Jyuushiro got with his bokken, the harder it was for Shunsui to push him back.

Again, they were progressing faster than everyone else in their class.

* * *

Over the weeks, Shunsui also came to appreciate that, while Jyuushiro _was_ a hell of an overachiever, it certainly upped the standards of the pranks they continued to pull.

His friend was full of surprises, it seemed.

* * *

One weekend, Shunsui managed to sneak a few of them into the nearest village and into a tavern, where a whole lot of money was enough to supply them with drinks for the rest of the night.

Jyuushiro wasn't the only one in their little group who had never had much to drink before, but he was certainly the only one who went so many rounds without showing any effects.

By the time his words stared to slur together and his cheeks started to flush pink, three of their companions had already passed out (Kanata among them) and two of them easily about to join them. That just left Jyuushiro, Shunsui and two others (no on would ever doubt a Shiba knew how to hold their liquor) to enjoy the company of the women who had joined them early on.

They danced, they sang and they drank more.

Jyuushiro blushed a lot in the seductive presence of the envy inspiring woman that had claimed him as hers at the very beginning.

A few extra drinks and she was dragging him off to the shadows.

Shunsui grinned to himself as he watched them leave out of the corner of his eye, figuring his friend was definitely going to lose his virginity tonight; while Shunsui himself was equally happy to surrender to the woman who pulled _him_ away…it had been a while since he had _enjoyed_ female company.

Jyuushiro detached his lips from the woman's and noticed Shunsui following another away.

"Where did your attention go?" the woman who was curled around him pouted.

"Ah, no where," Jyuushiro blushed again. He really didn't have any experience when it came to dealing with women in this sort of situation.

Their lips met again.

His mind was very much blank thanks to the effects of the alcohol, and he was thoroughly enjoying himself, so Jyuushiro was quite surprised when he suddenly found himself pushing the woman away, completely out of the mood.

"Ah, gomen," Jyuushiro blushed in embarrassment at the abruptness of his actions.

"You aren't feeling it?" she pouted in disappointment.

"Gomen, I don't know what happened."

'_**It does not feel right with her**_,' the voice echoed through his mind.

"You got sidetracked…you don't fancy other men do you?"

Jyuushiro went bright red, he could feel it.

"No, I don't."

"What put you off?"

"…I'm not sure…" Jyuushiro frowned. "It just didn't feel quite right with you."

The woman sighed. "I'm sad to say I agree….but let's just keep this between ourselves though, shall we?"

Jyuushiro nodded and they parted ways.

* * *

The following evening, clearly exhausted from a night with almost no sleep and a (surprisingly) minor hangover, Jyuushiro fell asleep sitting up while they were having dinner.

Shunsui and Niito took Jyuushiro back to his room that night, Kanata trailing behind them.

"Damn, but he's far heavier than he looks," Shunsui sighed, sitting on the floor when they finally got him onto his futon.

"I am sorry I was not much help," Kanata apologized. "You are all just so much taller than I am, it makes it hard."

Shunsui shrugged, brushing off the apology.

"All's well," Niito grinned. "We managed just fine."

"Should we change his clothes?" Kanata wondered. "He cannot possibly sleep comfortably like that."

Shunsui thought about it for a moment as silence reigned.

It was a lot of effort, and Jyuushiro may not appreciate it…Shunsui knew _he_ hated the idea of a bunch of guys changing his clothes for him.

Jyuushiro rolled slightly and all thoughts of changing him left Shunsui's head.

Jyuushiro's gi was coming loose, and Shunsui could see more bruising.

He lifted the material away slightly, frowning.

It was a lot more than last time.

"This is fresh bruising," he observed aloud. "It can't be more than a few days old."

"What do you think it is from?" Kanata wondered.

"Looks like fists to me," Niito commented.

"Last time I saw bruising like this, Ukitake said he fell,"

"Do you think someone hurt him?" Kanata sounded worried.

"He would be an easy target for bullies," Niito stated.

Shunsui paused, thinking back. "We'll have to keep an eye on him. Whether he is or not, Ukitake isn't the kind to admit it."

"Agreed," Niito nodded.

Kanata nodded his agreement too.

* * *

Jyuushiro glanced up when an unplaceable feeling passed over him.

"I think I felt someone coming," he hissed at Shunsui, who was fussing over their latest prank idea.

He paused.

"There's no one there, Shiro-chan," Shunsui drawled in reply.

"We're going to get in trouble," Jyuushiro was annoyed now.

"Not if we don't get caught," the cheeky retort.

"Genryuusai-sensei will be able to read our reiatsu all over the thing."

"Quit being a girl. You only live once."

There was another silence.

"Can you smell cinnamon?" Jyuushiro wondered.

"No, are you coming down with something again?"

"No! Let me have a look?"

Jyuushiro moved to the shoji, pushing it back quietly as possible, poking his head out to scan around.

"Anyone there?"

"No," Jyuushiro came back in.

"Told you," Shunsui grinned and went back to what he was doing.

Jyuushiro continued to frown.

'_**Smelt pretty**_,' the echoed voices again.

He had always liked the warm scent of cinnamon…

* * *

Then, finally, came the day that Jyuushiro's greatest kept secret was revealed.

It happened in the middle of kidou class.

It was obvious that he was not well again, and overexerting himself, and the sensei had been trying to go easy on him all day without raising suspicions...but there was no helping it.

Jyuushiro covered his mouth as he coughed hoarsely.

"That sounds nastier than usual," Shunsui commented. "And you don't look too hot."

"It does sound a bit worse," Jyuushiro frowned.

"Perhaps you should run and fetch a drink, Ukitake-kun," their instructor told him. "I can't have your coughing disrupting the class."

_'Coddling their genius again_,' Shunsui sighed to himself. '_They won't be able to hide it from everyone forever_.'

Jyuushiro nodded and stood, trying not to blush under his peers' scrutiny.

As soon as he straightened, horror flashed across his face and widened his eyes as his hand flew to his mouth and a choking sound erupted from his throat.

"Oi, Ukitake?" Shunsui frowned worriedly.

Jyuushiro squeezed his eyes shut as he coughed painfully and fell back down onto one knee.

"Ukitake-kun?" the instructor knelt beside him and grasped his shoulder. "Can you walk? You need to go to the infirmary."

Jyuushiro struggled to his feet, his eyes still tightly closed and his hand still covering his mouth.

Shunsui jumped to his feet and took Jyuushiro's other arm as he wobbled.

"Kyouraku, help me get him out,"

"Too…late," Jyuushiro muttered right before a fit seized him and his legs gave out again.

The chocking sound came from his throat again and there were gasps of worry and alarm from their classmates when a trickle of blood escaped from between Jyuushiro's fingers.

"Are you coughing up blood?" Shunsui looked horrified as he forced Jyuushiro's hand away from his mouth and watched as he coughed more blood onto the floor, his palm already covered in the thick red substance.

Their instructor lifted Jyuushiro's arm around his shoulders and hoisted him up, supporting him.

"Everyone stay here, I'm taking him to the infirmary and coming back," he disappeared in a shunpo step.

"Did you see that?" Niito was still staring, horrified. "That was blood, right?"

Shunsui just nodded, a sick feeling of fear clenching in his gut…even their sensei had seemed slightly panicked at the appearance of the blood.

* * *

Skipping his following class, Shunsui headed straight to the infirmary.

He slipped past the nurse on duty and scanned the room for his friend.

"I really shouldn't allow you to see him you know," the nurse frowned at him. "But he has been awfully upset about everyone finding out, it may be good for someone he is close to to talk some confidence into him."

Shunsui nodded. "So where is he?"

"A private room, this way," she turned to lead him. "Just keep in mind, he won't be how he usually is. It was pretty bad this time, he's quite weak."

"This has happened before?"

"Often," the nurse nodded. "It would be best for you to hear it from him though."

Shunsui nodded.

The nurse pushed back the shoji and entered first, going to kneel beside Jyuushiro, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder to see if he was awake.

From his position by the door, Shunsui saw Jyuushiro's eyes open slowly as if the naturally small feet was a heavy task.

"You have a visitor, Jyuushiro-kun," the nurse spoke softly. "Do you think you are okay to see him?"

Jyuushiro's eyes drifted to Shunsui's and he nodded.

The nurse guided him as he sat up and propped himself against the wall.

"I'll brew you some tea," she smiled softly and moved off. "Don't push yourself," she orderedJyuushiro, closing the shoji behind her.

There was a moment of dead silence where the only sound was Jyuushiro's uneven breathing as he and Shunsui stared at each other.

As he sat cross-legged beside the futon, Shunsui acknowledged to himself that his friend didn't look good at all.

"You can ask what you like," Jyuushiro's voice was strained and hoarse.

"Can't decide what to ask first," Shunsui crossed his arms over his chest.

Jyuushiro didn't offer anything helpful, just sat staring at the tent his feet made of the blanket.

"The nurse said this has happened before?" Shunsui finally questioned. "All the other classes you've missed, that's because of this?"

Jyuushiro nodded once. "A minor attack will usually lay me up for about a day."

"How long has this been happening?"

"As long as I can remember,"

"Why haven't they cured it?"

"They can't."

"The hell they can't,"

"Shunsui," Jyuushiro's expression was somber. "Believe me, they've tried everything, even methods from the Real World…one 'cure' induced an attack so bad my hair turned white after three days of coughing up blood."

"You're hair isn't naturally white?"

Jyuushiro shook his head. "If you ever meet tousan you will understand."

Shunsui frowned questioningly at that comment, but Jyuushiro continued on.

"Every time a new way to potentially cure my illness came up, my parents used to have me try it."

"Used to?"

"They were exhausting the already limited family funds, and if anything, I was only getting worse. So I insisted that instead of becoming penniless to cure something that obviously didn't want to be cured, they should keep me as comfortable as possible and give me many siblings," Jyuushiro grinned.

"Don't smile like that, this is serious, you're just giving up?"

Jyuushiro shook his head. "Not exactly…I simply accepted I'd die before most everyone I know and so had to make the most of the time I had; I'm not ready to go anytime soon."

"That sounds like giving up to me."

"Shunsui," Jyuushiro sighed heavily, followed by a painful cough.

"You okay?"

"Mm," Jyuushiro acknowledged, rubbing his chest.

The nurse returned with tea and set the two cups down for them.

"Just in time," Jyuushiro smiled appreciatively as he reached for his cup with a trembling hand.

"I've already warned you not to push yourself," she reminded him as she left them alone again.

Jyuushiro took a sip and winced as the warm liquid ran down his abused throat.

"You really don't mind that you're going to die?"

"Well of course I _mind_," Jyuushiro frowned. "But that doesn't change the fact that I have a limit to my lifespan," he shrugged. "I just want to experience as much as possible and do as much as I can in the time I do have."

"So you decided to become a shinigami?"

"Why not?" Jyuushiro shrugged again. "I have the abilities, I may as well do some good in the world before I have to leave it. Not to mention this way my family won't coddle me as much either."

"I hate to break it to you, but the instructors all coddle you."

"But that isn't just because of my health. I'm a hard working student who holds great potential…and they're no where near as bad as my relatives are."

Shunsui raised an eyebrow.

Jyuushiro blushed slightly. "I know, that sounded a bit conceited, ne?" he smiled sheepishly.

There was a moment of silence.

"Limited time, huh?" Shunsui sighed.

Jyuushiro nodded. "Before I came here they estimated a hundred years, two hundred at the _very_ most."

"That little?" Shunsui was shocked.

Jyuushiro nodded again.

"You're not kidding. It's that serious?"

"I was lucky to survive childhood. Those that contract it that young usually don't make it to puberty…so I'm already living on borrowed time as it is."

"I can't believe they can't do anything,"

"Shunsui, friends are a good thing, even if they tread a different path…I hope that despite this, we can still be friends. People don't often react well when they see what you saw."

"If anything this means you won't be rid of me until you do die…unless I die first. Perhaps I'll be killed in action."

"Don't joke Shunsui," Jyuushiro scolded. "You won't go down in battle. If anything you'll die of alcohol poisoning."

Shunsui grinned. "I don't drink that much, but dying with a cup in hand and sake in my belly…sounds like a good way to go."

"Except if that were the case you'd probably be puking your guts out at the same time," Jyuushiro rolled his eyes and covered a light but unpleasant sounding cough.

"In the mean time I'll die coughing up my lungs, so your way may be better. It would be nice if they could at least come up with a way to make it hurt less," he muttered bitterly. "Though I suppose when Retsu-san is around she's able to soothe it a little."

"Retsu-san?" Shunsui perked up at the mention of a female name…

"Unohana Retsu, she's interning here a few days a week," Jyuushiro smiled, following his friend's thoughts. "She's not really the kind who would give into you…trust me, you're better off being wary."

"Naw, spoil my fun," Shunsui pouted.

Jyuushiro shrugged and silence fell between them.

"Is this thing of yours contagious?" Shunsui finally wondered.

Jyuushiro shook his head. "I wouldn't be here if it was."

"Does it have anything to do with the bruises you're always covered in?"

Surprise flashed across his face briefly.

"It is part of why I bruise so easy."

Smoothly avoiding the question so that he didn't have to lie.

"Who's bullying you?" Shunsui asked.

Jyuushiro's jaw set stubbornly and he refused to answer.

"Jyuushiro," Shunsui frowned. "I'm your friend now, right?" he didn't wait for a reply. "Friends are meant to help each other out when shit like this happens."

"I want to handle it myself," Jyuushiro finally said, frowning thoughtfully at Shunsui. "My pride demands it."

Shunsui tried to speak, but Jyuushiro interrupted him.

"If you want to help though…will you…teach me how to fight?"

Shunsui frowned. "What makes you think I know how?"

Jyuushiro only raised an eyebrow at him.

Shunsui sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Fine, if that's all you'll let me do," he gave in. "But you have to promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"When you fight these bastards, I want to be your backup,"

Jyuushiro frowned.

Shunsui crossed his arms stubbornly, he wasn't backing down from this.

Jyuushiro sighed and looked away. "Fine."

Shunsui allowed himself a satisfied smirk.

"Good," he nodded. "Then we'll start once you're well enough…and _I_ won't go easy on you."

Jyuushiro grinned. "Good."

* * *

**A/N:** so review as always, next chapter is already on its way, hopefully I'll have time to finish it soon...


	14. Fighters

**Disclaimer**** applies.**

**A/N:** I found the younger Shiba's name, it's Niito.

* * *

PART TWO – FIRST YEARS

JYUUSHIRO & SHUNSUI

FIGHTERS

"_All you need to know are the basics and then from there it's all just instincts."_

That was what Shunsui had said during his first fighting lesson with Jyuushiro.

He'd been teaching his friend the basics for the last three weeks.

Today was the first time they were putting what Jyuushiro had been taught into action.

Jyuushiro started off slow, hesitant about putting force into his blows until Shunsui goaded him into giving it all he had.

Even with his guard not up properly, Shunsui couldn't help but be stunned when he found himself flying backwards and into the wall with enough force to steal the breath from his lungs.

"Sweet Kami, Shiro-chan," he chuckled breathlessly when he finally regained air. "You fight like a girl but you hit like an earthquake."

Jyuushiro blushed slightly, frowning worriedly as his friend stumbled to his feet and shook off the blow.

"This is going to be more fun than I thought," Shunsui grinned, coming forward again. "Let's go again, honest to goodness fight. Don't hold back," he took up his stance.

It was the best fight Shunsui had ever been in, even if it was just practice.

At the end of it, both teens sat back, breathing heavily, sweat dripping, and exhaustion making them weak.

"Now that was fun," Shunsui grinned from his position flopped back on the ground. "You may not like to fight, but you have the instincts and reflexes."

"Domo," Jyuushiro grinned, proud of himself.

"I think you're ready for us to face your demons."

Jyuushiro pulled a face.

* * *

Later that week, Shunsui and Jyuushiro faced off against the cowardly group of supposedly noble blooded senpai that had been taking their displeasure out on Jyuushiro.

…they never stood a chance.

Two against six. Who would have known? They didn't even break a sweat.

Shunsui and Jyuushiro hi-fived when their senpai were all groaning and moaning from the dirt.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the last time they tried to gang up on Jyuushiro.

When their complaints to the soutaicho about Jyuushiro and Shunsui starting the fight went unanswered, and neither Jyuushiro nor Shunsui faced a reprimand let alone punishment, they gathered up a few more of their peers.

The pair still came out the victors, only a few minor bruises to show that they had even been involved in the fight.

Yamamoto called them to his office that time around, kept them there for half an hour, sitting in silence while he filled out his paperwork, and then said they could leave.

"You aren't going to punish us?" Jyuushiro was somewhat puzzled.

"You are both the only two in your year level who came here with ability and no official entrance exam. Between you, you are the top of every one of your classes and a long way ahead of your peers. The two of you have tremendous potential. In all likelihood, the most this entire academy has seen so far; though there is someone coming in next year who holds promise. As I have previously said, together you will be formidable."

Silence followed.

"I know why the fight took place," Yamamoto told them, his tone insinuating that he knew all. "This is a pretense in an effort to make your senpai feel they have won. I do not like fights in my academy."

Jyuushiro and Shunsui grinned and bowed to their sensei.

"Arigato, sensei," they told him and left.

* * *

Their senpai gloated like crazy after that, but neither of the teens could bring themselves to care.

It wasn't the last fight they fought back to back though.

Jyuushiro had been right in saying that some people didn't react well to his illness.

A number of his supposed friends had turned against him after what they had seen, and when their clan influence had no effect, they thought taking matters into their own hands might make Jyuushiro leave.

They should have known better than to go against the duo.

In retaliation, more of Jyuushiro and Shunsui's pranks wrecked havoc.

Yamamoto finally stepped in, putting the two into "extra classes".

This consisted of them training with Yamamoto himself.

Meditation had never been something Shunsui was very patient with.

Yet, only a few weeks into these "extra classes" both Jyuushiro and Shunsui were able to retreat to their inner worlds.

The voices they had both been hearing for so long made sense now.

Shunsui wasn't a very big fan of his inner world. It was peculiar and dark. Black sky, black dust and sand, and flowers and flowering trees sporadically placed everywhere; but luminescent, rainbow tinged wind carried their scents as well as petals everywhere…then there was the occasional instance when said wind shifted the sand to reveal white bones…eerie barely covered it.

Jyuushiro on the other hand was quite a fan of his. He stood on an endless calm ocean, no land in sight. Lightning lit the sky, but no thunder rolled. It was otherworldly and peaceful and he loved it.

Yamamoto then began to train them to fight and channel their zanpakutou spirits at the same time.

It was tricky, and Yamamoto was a hard taskmaster, relentless in his drills.

They would never in a million years have any hope of overpowering the soutaicho. The very idea of facing him across a battlefield freaked the hell out of the two teens.

Jyuushiro relished the exercise, his attacks coming less frequently than before.

They were all quite shocked when Shunsui had, during one of these training sessions, turned around in the middle of a fight and picked up another bokken, a kid-sized one, and began calmly wielding that just as well as he wielded the other one.

"Shunsui," Yamamoto warned. "A katana is wielded two handed."

"But Yama-jii, I was _told_ to use two," Shunsui insisted.

Yamamoto didn't show any hint of surprise, but paused.

"Shunsui, how many voices do you hear when you visit your inner world?"

"Ah, just the one…" he paused, frowning. "But I do feel like there's someone there who isn't talking…why?"

"I wonder…" Yamamoto trailed off into thoughtful silence.

"What? What?" Shunsui demanded, ever the patient one.

"We will see," Yamamoto spoke cryptically.

Jyuushiro and Shunsui exchanged a glance.

"I think we will have the two of you summoning your zanpakutou by the end of the year," Yamamoto told them.

"_Nani_?"

* * *

Yamamoto had been right.

It happened a month before their final, end of year exams.

First Jyuushiro; shocking Shunsui out of his meditative state with a blast of reiatsu Shunsui hadn't known his friend possessed, Sougyo no Kotowari can into existence.

Spurred on by the challenge, only moments later the twin blades of Katen Kyoukotsu followed.

Jyuushiro and Shunsui had stared in fascination at their zanpakutou blades; and marveled over the fact that Shunsui had two.

Yamamoto had showed no surprise, his suspicions confirmed; but a new piece to the puzzle of these two promising youngsters…Sougyo no Kotowari, Reason of the _Twin_ Fish*.

With this development, many of the other students became wary, and others awed.

Either way, Shunsui and Jyuushiro had made names for themselves and were going down in academy history, the first first years to summon their zanpakutou.

* * *

Jyuushiro touched his fingers to Sougyo no Kotowari's hilt, the hum of power there comforting.

With exams over and everyone packed and ready to go, the school year had come to an end.

It had gone fast.

"Jyuu-kun,"

Jyuushiro glanced up at his father's voice, seeing the man coming towards him, Saburo running ahead.

"Jyuu-nii!" Saburo practically flew the last few feet to wrap his arms tightly around his older brother's waist.

"Ohayo," Jyuushiro chuckled, hugging his brother back. "Looks like you missed me."

Saburo just grinned up at him, all teeth.

"Tou-chan let me come and collect you with him,"

"I'm glad," Jyuushiro grinned and ruffled Saburo's hair.

"Son," Washishou grinned and hugged his eldest son. "You're looking good."

Jyuushiro rolled his eyes. "I'm fine tou-chan."

Jyuushiro sensed eyes on him and looked up, spotting two of his closest friends standing not far off.

He motioned them over and made introductions.

"Shiba Niito-kun, and Hamasaki Kanata, my friends; this is my tou-chan Washishou and my ototo Saburo."

They all bowed formally.

"You have one hell of a son here, sir," Niito grinned, slapping Jyuushiro on the back. "We can't wait to see him back next year."

Kanata, Niito and Washishou chatted and Jyuushiro spotted Shunsui.

The older teen looked troubled and Jyuushiro felt compelled to see what was wrong.

"Shunsui?"

Shunsui looked up, startled.

Jyuushiro raised questioning eyebrows.

Shunsui rolled his eyes in response.

"I really don't want to go home," he sighed heavily. "The idea of my aniki glaring at me non-stop for the next three months because of everything is troublesome; my mother nagging me constantly is just as annoying; and then there's my father…he'll pretend to be all proud because I managed to summon my zanpakutou and all that, but in reality he probably still can't remember my name or why I was sent away in the first place."

"I don't think I like the sound of your father," Jyuushiro frowned.

"Not much to like," Shunsui shrugged.

"Why _were_ you sent away Shunsui?"

"I never told you?" Shunsui seemed surprised.

Jyuushiro shook his head.

"I was a lazy screw-up on the way to being the next generation of Kyouraku womanizer, just like my father. My mother wouldn't have that."

"Being here hasn't exactly damaged your sex life," Jyuushiro was confused.

"I slept with my brother's fiancé," Shunsui blushed as he admitted it.

Jyuushiro blinked. "…oh…"

Shunsui snorted. "Quite a reaction."

Jyuushiro shrugged. "You could come stay with us if you wanted," he offered. "My sister is a little young for your tastes."

Shunsui pulled a face, it was evident his friend was teasing.

"I may just have to take you up on that offer–"

"Jyuu-nii?"

The two looked around to where Saburo was standing not far off.

"Hi there," Shunsui grinned.

"Are you aniki's friend too?"

Shunsui nodded. "His very best friend."

Saburo looked suspicious and Jyuushiro struggled not to laugh.

"Saburo, this is Kyouraku Shunsui, he's going to come stay with us," Jyuushiro patted his ototo's head. "He likes to play games and is amazingly good at hide and seek, but I think you and the others could probably beat him,"

Jyuushiro winked mischievously at Shunsui.

"What do you say, kid?" Shunsui grinned at the boy that looked so much like a younger, dark haired version of Jyuushiro. "You up for some new blood as your challenger?"

Saburo grinned wickedly. "You won't stand a chance, hairy-dude, the Ukitake are too many for you."

With that the kid ran back to his father, leaving a surprised Shunsui rubbing at his stubble, and Jyuushiro bent over laughing.

"You'll fit in just fine," Jyuushiro finally grinned. "Come meet my tou-chan."

* * *

And so first year came to an end…

* * *

**A/N:** so, I'm pretty sure this is the last chapter for part two, so unless I decide to do a holiday chapter, Kimiko will be back in it next chapter. What do you think? Do you want a holiday chapter or should I just get on with it? Review and let me know.

*Sougyo no Kotowari has a few translated versions, including Truth of Pisces and Law of the Twin Fish, don't be surprised if I alternate at times.


	15. Part Three, Kimiko

**Disclaimer**** applies.**

**A/N:** wow, so I got this up far sooner than I thought I would...

* * *

PART THREE – A TRIO FORMS

KIMIKO

Jyuushiro breathed in the fresh air, glad to be back.

Shunsui on the other hand, sighed heavily from beside him.

"You're not glad to be back?" Jyuushiro tilted his head at his friend.

"Depends how you're looking at it," Shunsui rolled his shoulders, trying to remove some of the tension. "I'm glad to be away from home again, that was a drag and I'm sorry you had to go through it all,"

Having spent the majority of the holidays at Ugendo with the Ukitake clan, Shunsui had felt compelled to at least visit his mother for a short amount of time, and had taken Jyuushiro with him.

It hadn't been pleasant.

Megumi had been friendly and liked Jyuushiro for obviously being a supportive friend, but Shunshou and Ryuuronin…both had been worse than Shunsui had predicted.

Shunshou hadn't even pretended to be proud of his son, a passing congratulations for summoning his zanpakutou when Megumi had mentioned it but he had barely looked at his youngest son let alone spent any time with him.

Ryuuronin had just been unpleasant. He was still pretty pissed off at his brother for seducing his fiancé (the girl hadn't been a virgin anyway, no matter what anyone told Ryuuronin) and made a point of disapproving of Jyuushiro for not even being from a noble-ke.

It made Shunsui wish more than ever he had a family like Jyuushiro's.

"…but then on the other hand, I'm not looking forward to having to do tests and getting yelled at by the sensei again."

"You'll be right," Jyuushiro grinned. "It'll be over before you know it and besides, I have a good feeling about this year."

Shunsui's eyebrows went up but he was distracted from saying anything when Kanata and Niito joined them, chatting about their summer breaks.

"There seems to be more students this year?" Shunsui observed as they headed for their dorms.

"The academy is picking up popularity fast," Niito told him. "I hear this year's first years have had to be split into two classes there are so many of them. Fifth years are having to be mentors as well as the sixth years."

"Did anyone in our year decide not to come back?" Jyuushiro wondered.

"One or two," Niito shrugged. "A few noble parents were apparently offended that the two of you were privately coached into summoning your zanpakutou by Yamamoto himself."

"Just cause their kids are incompetent idiots," Shunsui made a face.

"Looks like there have been some room changes," Jyuushiro commented, seeing Shunsui's name next to his.

"I asked," Shunsui admitted.

"Eh? Why?" Jyuushiro was surprised. "It isn't easy to sleep through my coughing you know?"

"You're my friend. And I'm pretty heavy sleeper," Shunsui shrugged. "Yama-jii liked the idea."

Jyuushiro grinned and pushed back the shoji.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," he commented.

* * *

Kimiko glanced around.

The academy grounds were bustling, many of the students stopping to say hello to Yamamoto, who was standing where he could observe the happenings.

Kimiko approached him.

"Yamamoto Soutaicho," she nodded her head in a polite greeting.

He nodded back. "I was looking out for you, Kimiko-chan,"

Kimiko titled her head slightly to one side at the suffix.

"I wanted to talk to you about Kiyoshi."

"What about him?"

The husky voice still surprised Yamamoto.

The girl had grown taller since he had seen her at her test but otherwise nothing about her had changed. She had the same cool look in her eyes, the same impassive set to her features; the same green headscarf.

"Students are not to wear their zanpakutou on the grounds unless moving to or from a zanpakutou related class. He needs to stay in your room," Yamamoto informed her. "Two of our second year students summoned their zanpakutou out of class last year and some of the parents are not too happy about it, therefore Kiyoshi is not common knowledge among anyone at this academy and it will remain that way unless you choose to tell, understood?"

Kimiko nodded, even while Kiyoshi protested the enforced separation, they had never been parted before.

"I also understand you have still yet to manage shikai. I would like to help you with that if you would be willing to attend extra training with me privately. Considering the number of years you have had Kiyoshi summoned, I believe you should be able to use shikai by now."

Kimiko only nodded again.

"You should go meet your mentor and settle into your dorm before orientation begins," Yamamoto dismissed her.

Watching her go, Yamamoto could only hope that he had not been wrong to accept her here.

He spotted Jyuushiro and Shunsui approaching him.

He needed to speak to them as well.

* * *

"Kyouraku-san, Ukitake-san," a fellow classmate rushed up to join them.

"Matsu-san," Jyuushiro nodded in acknowledgement.

"Why the rush?" Shunsui wondered.

"Some of the new students have arrived," Matsu informed them. "They are saying a female of the Ryu-Kin family has started here. They're saying she's really something to look at."

"Did you say the _Ryu-Kin_ family?" Jyuushiro's eyes widened in surprise. "The royal family actually allowed one of their hime to study to become a shinigami?"

Matsu nodded.

"Shiro-chan, let's go take a look,"

Jyuushiro winced at the nickname. "I wish you wouldn't call me that."

Shunsui, of course, ignored him, already following Matsu to see the hime.

Jyuushiro followed at a slower pace.

They found the hime in a classroom, already surrounded by admirers.

Jyuushiro took one look at her pale blonde hair (a shade that was famously known as the shade many royals had) and her coy smile, and knew she was just the kind of woman Shunsui would fall for.

He glanced around the room and found that only one person wasn't among the admirers.

The girl was sitting away from the commotion, seeming uninterested and unimpressed.

She had tanned skin and had her hair completely covered in emerald green cloth.

Jyuushiro went to sit beside her.

"Konnichiwa," he smiled down at her as he took a seat.

She looked up at him, blinking in surprise, and Jyuushiro found himself being drawn in by her gaze.

Her left eye was a beautiful shade of amber, almost orange in colour; while her right eye was a vivid shade of blue.

"Konnichiwa," she responded.

Jyuushiro was surprised by the husky sound of her voice.

"I'm Ukitake Jyuushiro," he smiled politely.

"Why are you not among the hime's admirers?"

"She seems to have enough as it is. What about you?"

The girl glanced back down at her books and Jyuushiro felt the heat that had been put off finally spread across his cheeks.

"I've known Sakura-hime for a long time. I've never been impressed by her antics. Nor by most nobles. They are almost all selfish and arrogant."

"You weren't forced to join the academy to cater to her needs were you?" Jyuushiro wondered.

"I signed up first, then she decided to join me," she sighed heavily. "And I thought I would finally be able to live my life in peace," she looked up at him again.

"You know senpai, she will find you irresistible simply because you show no interest in her. It will annoy you to no end."

"You needn't call me senpai, I'm only a year ahead of you; and don't worry, it takes a great deal to truly annoy me," Jyuushiro grinned. "For example, you still have not told me your name and I am still calmly sitting here."

"Gomen-nasai," she blinked in surprise again and a radiant smile more beautiful than Jyuushiro had ever seen spread across her face, making her eyes crinkle into crescent moons and her face glow.

"I'm Inari Kimiko,"

That smile was infectious.

Jyuushiro's own smile widened and the heat returned to his cheeks.

Suddenly, Shunsui appeared beside him.

"Baka, I turned around to introduce you to the hime and you were gone, now I find you over here flirting with someone else,"

Jyuushiro glanced up to see the infamous hime had followed his friend over and was now staring coldly at Kimiko.

"Nari-chan," she greeted coldly.

"Suki-chan," Kimiko greeted innocently.

Sakura's eyes narrowed but then she turned to Jyuushiro and her face lit up.

"Ukitake-senpai, Shunsui-san told me you were his closest friend. You are very pretty. I love your silver hair, is that natural?"

Jyuushiro nodded, distracted, as he watched from the corner of his eye as Kimiko picked up her things and mumbled something about needing to get to go, before she made her exit.

"Sumimasen," Jyuushiro excused himself and hurried after Kimiko.

"Inari-san," he greeted as he caught up with her.

She blinked her surprise at him.

"Strange," she frowned. "Few members of the male gender ever wish to leave Sakura's presence once she has smiled at them."

Jyuushiro blushed and avoided eye contact as he said, "Perhaps it's because I've already been blinded by _your_ smile."

He felt Kimiko's eyes assessing him.

They walked in silence for a moment.

Jyuushiro suddenly felt a fit seize him and stopped, the coughs raking his body.

"Are you alright?" Kimiko frowned and placed a gentle hand on his upper arm.

The touch was light and comforting, but felt like it was burning through his uniform sleeve at the same time.

He smelt the spicy sent of cinnamon suddenly envelope him and the fit calmed.

Still surrounded by the scent of cinnamon, Jyuushiro felt, for the first time ever, completely fine after a coughing fit.

His gaze moved to Kimiko's concerned face.

_'It's her_,_' _hethought, realizing belatedly that the scent came from Kimiko.

He couldn't feel her reiatsu, but he could definitely smell the scent of cinnamon from her.

"I'm fine," he smiled. "It seems it wasn't a bad one this time."

"It's happened before?"

Jyuushiro nodded. "I'm rather weak of body and am frequently prone to these fits."

"I've never been sick," Kimiko admitted. "It doesn't seem fun."

Jyuushiro smiled. "You get used to it, I'm afraid."

Kimiko blinked and finally remembered to remove her hand.

Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment and she glanced away.

Jyuushiro felt the loss of warmth straight away.

"Inari-san," he started and she glanced back up at him, tall as she was, he was still taller.

"Did you want something?" she seemed to have dismissed him.

"Ah…did you need to be somewhere?" he frowned at her rudeness.

She nodded.

"Oh," disappointment settled in his stomach.

They stood in silence.

"Did _you_ want something?" she frowned curiously.

"I thought you might appreciate a friend who already knows everything about the academy…help you find your way and such…" he trailed off.

"Friend?" there was honest to goodness surprise in her eyes and Jyuushiro vowed there and then that she was going to find a friend in him.

He nodded. "Friend. You do intend on making some while you're here, don't you?"

"I hadn't really thought about it," she admitted.

Her eyes darted over his shoulder, and he registered an approaching reiatsu.

"I suppose we could start with you pointing me in the right direction of the library?"

"I'll take you," he offered, smiling now.

She shook her head.

"Just the direction is fine, if I don't find it on my own I'll never remember how to get there next time."

He told her directions and she was gone with only a brief goodbye.

Jyuushiro turned to see that it had been Sakura-hime's reiatsu he had been sensing.

"Ukitake-senpai, I don't know you, but you must really be something," she smiled slightly. "That's the longest conversation I've seen Kimiko have in quite a long time, she must have liked you."

Jyuushiro's heart did a funny little beat at the idea.

"But I hate to be the one break it to you, but she probably won't remember who you are next time you meet," that said, Sakura dismissed him and returned to her new fans.

Jyuushiro frowned and looked back to the direction Inari Kimiko had disappeared in.

There was something about that girl…

…and was Sougyo no Kotowari purring in the back of his mind?

He frowned.

* * *

Kimiko flattened her palm over her racing heartbeat.

Had she ever met anyone who seemed so naturally friendly? Who had such an open and honest smile? With such a direct gaze?

The hand she had unconsciously tried to comfort him with quivered, still tingling strangely.

There was something different about him…

* * *

**A/N:** review!


	16. Beginnings of Light

**Disclaimer**** applies.**

**A/N:** so, another chapter. If anyone is wondering what I am describing when it comes to Kiyoshi, the is a link on my profile that takes you to my deviantart page, there is a picture of him in the Ryuukin art folder. Enjoy the chapter, I have to say, I laughed when I wrote the first section, not to mention the real reason Kimiko started calling Jyuushiro Aki ;)

* * *

PART THREE - A TRIO FORMS

BEGINNINGS OF LIGHT

"Inari-san?"

Kimiko jolted when a head appeared next to hers.

"Ah, gomen, I didn't mean to startle you,"

Kimiko took a moment to calm her racing heart.

How had he been able to sneak up on her like that?

She studied his face for a moment.

She recognized it, the white hair…

"Senpai, do you make it a habit to startle girls?"

Jyuushiro laughed. "Of course not. But you look like you don't remember me?"

Kimiko blinked in surprise.

There was a moment of silence before Kimiko blushed lightly and glanced away.

"I'm afraid I'm not too good with names," she said by way of explanation. "You could say that it's lack of practice," she shrugged slightly. "I know I met you my first day, but that was a week ago…"

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to reintroduce myself each time we see each other," Jyuushiro grinned. "I am Ukitake Jyuushiro."

"Ukitake Jyuushiro," Kimiko repeated, the name flowed well, but she knew she would probably still forget it.

"That's it," Jyuushiro nodded, still smiling. "But you still have a look in your eyes as if you know you're going to forget again."

The blush spread again, telling enough, and Kimiko fought the urge to squirm where she sat. Since when had she been so easy to read?

"If you'll permit me?" Jyuushiro held out his hand expectantly and Kimiko frowned questioningly.

"Give me your hand," he smiled again and Kimiko hesitantly placed her hand in his.

His touch was gentle and unhurried, as if he knew she was skittish about being touched.

He picked up a brush and dipped the tip in her inkwell.

Jyuushiro then proceeded to write his name neatly along her forearm.

"There you go," he smiled once more as he placed the brush down and, still holding her hand, blew lightly on the ink. "Hopefully this will help you remember me. I'd hate to be forgotten by someone I'm trying to be friends with."

Her heart skipped a beat at the idea of having a friend other than Kiyoshi; her hand tingling in his touch and the hairs on her arm standing on end where he had blown.

"What are you studying?" Jyuushiro looked down at the papers in front of her. "Ah, kidou theory, how are you finding it?"

Kimiko shrugged. "I'm sure there is a purpose behind us learning about it…it sure isn't for fun."

Jyuushiro chuckled. "I enjoy kidou, theory or practical makes no difference."

Kimiko shrugged, it wasn't fun for her.

"I'd be more than happy to tutor you if you need any help," he smiled. "Kidou is my best subject after all."

"Ah, thank you for the offer, but I don't have a problem studying theory…except for horrid concentration due to lack of interest."

Jyuushiro chuckled again and Kimiko frowned, had that been funny?

"Well, keep in mind that the offer always stands,"

Silence stretched between them and Jyuushiro found himself blushing unwillingly under her unwavering gaze.

"Mind if I sit with you?" Jyuushiro indicated his own books for study.

"You aren't going to talk the whole time, are you?"

Jyuushiro shook his head, blushing again; had he been that annoying?

"I promise,"

Kimiko shifted some of her things in answer.

The silence as they returned to their studies was surprisingly comfortable.

Kimiko continued to watch him out of the corner of her eyes as he wrote out notes from his book.

He really did have a beautiful face.

Jyuushiro could feel her eyes on him as if it were a physical touch, but when he glanced at her from the corner of his eye, she appeared to be reading her class work.

From this angle, her features seemed softer, less harsh, her eyes less cold, but then perhaps that was just because she was concentrating on her work.

Jyuushiro blushed slightly as the thought that she was actually quite beautiful, even without her smile, crossed his mind.

Her eyes met his.

The blush grew and he glanced away.

Kimiko frowned thoughtfully for a second, wondering if she should find out what about her had made him blush. Of all the reactions she had been getting over the years, no one had ever blushed because of her.

She decided against it.

She had never cared before, why should she start caring now?

In saying that, Kimiko still found herself wanting to know.

There was something about him and his reiatsu that made her feel completely comfortable and at ease. There was a calmness to it, an honesty. And he was far more powerful than he appeared.

* * *

After the meeting in the library, Jyuushiro made sure to wave to Kimiko in the hallway, to go out of his way to stop and say hello and ask how her day was going.

Occasionally he even managed to find her in the library and sat and studied with her.

She was always alone and that disturbed him.

He didn't know if she had remembered his name yet, she never said it, but she was familiar with him now and that counted for something.

Jyuushiro had also noticed that, other than that one instance, he hadn't managed to catch her by surprise again.

Everything about her outward appearance – aside from the bright emerald headscarf – still seemed cold and hardened, but the softening was there in her eyes.

Those eerie, two-coloured eyes were more expressive than anyone around her realized, even than Kimiko herself had realized.

It was fascinating.

* * *

"Jyuushiro,"

Jyuushiro turned to Yamamoto in surprise.

"Yes, Genryuusai-sensei?"

"I have noticed you appeared to be taking an interest in Inari Kimiko."

"I have sensei, she seems like an interesting girl…and I'm sure once she thaws out a little more she would show it a lot more…do you have a problem with it sensei?"

Yamamoto shook his head. "Not at all. I fully agree with you. She is a special girl and could be quite great one day."

"Could be?" Jyuushiro frowned in concern.

"It is not my right to tell you anything about her," Yamamoto paused. "But you changed Shunsui; I believe your friendship will help Kimiko too."

Jyuushiro blushed at the praise.

"I'll do my best sir," he smiled.

Yamamoto just nodded and continued on his way.

"What were you and Yama-jii talking about?" Shunsui arrived at his side.

"Nothing much,"

"Liar," Shunsui's eyes narrowed.

"Something very important that I can't tell you about," Jyuushiro replied sarcastically and spotted Kimiko.

He grinned and moved over to meet her.

Shunsui frowned, watching his friend's back.

Jyuushiro had been spending a lot of time with the first year, and Shunsui couldn't work out why.

"Niito, Kanata, do either of you know anything about that girl?"

"Inari Kimiko," Kanata supplied. "She arrived here from the royal realm with Sakura-hime and is in the second class. Her classmates are all afraid of her and her cold demeanor."

Shunsui continued to frown.

The girl was tall and slim, but he wouldn't say she looked like anything special.

What was his friend seeing in her?

* * *

"Inari-san?"

Kimiko glanced up at the classmate who had bravely taken the seat next to her in class.

She tilted her head and raised her dark eyebrows expectantly.

The girl blushed.

"You know Ukitake-senpai, what is he like?"

"Who?" Kimiko frowned.

The girl looked startled. "I saw the two of you talking before class today," she frowned in confusion.

"Oh, Aki?" Kimiko blinked and reached into her gi, pulling out a small bound book and flipping to the front. "Ah, you're right, Ukitake Jyuushiro."

The girl looked over Kimiko's shoulder to see an amazing portrait of their senpai, his name written beside it.

"Ah, sugoi, that is amazing! You are an amazing drawer."

Kimiko frowned, confused. "I didn't think I was anything special…can't everyone draw?"

"Most definitely not, where in Seireitei did you get such an idea?" the girl was startled. "Why did you draw Ukitake-senpai? And why did you call him 'Aki'?"

"This was a method I thought I'd try so that I can remember people's names," Kimiko indicated the book. "All our sensei are in here too. Aki is the only part of his name I seem to have remembered, plus, he reminds me of autumn for some reason…"

"You are bad with names? Is that why you are cold around everyone? It seems like a good way to remember if it works. Am I in there?"

Kimiko shook her head and the girl pouted.

"Well I am Samuru Misa, of the Shiba-ke, it is nice to finally make your acquaintance, and I hope you draw me into that little book," Misa grinned. "One of my cousins is good friends with Ukitake-senpai; he came home telling all kinds of stories about his friends, his aniki too. Shinobu-nii was meant to be Ukitake-senpai's mentor last year but apparently senpai was top of his class and he and his best friend Kyouraku-senpai had summoned their zanpakutou by the end of the year. Most people at this academy struggle to even summon their zanpakutou in third year when it becomes a part of our classes."

"You talk a lot," Kimiko commented, sketching Misa's face into her book.

"It is a family trait," Misa grinned. "We all talk loud and long."

"Doesn't that get noisy?"

"Hardly, it is a lot of fun to have such a loud and boisterous family,"

"I wouldn't know," Kimiko shrugged.

"Whatever do you mean?" Misa frowned.

"I'm an only child and I haven't seen my mother since I was four,"

"Oh, I am terribly sorry,"

"Why?" Kimiko almost laughed. "I grew up well enough."

Misa nodded, sympathy in her eyes.

Kimiko rolled her eyes and continued sketching.

"Who is Kyouraku-senpai?" she wondered after a while. "The Kyouraku-ke is a noble house right?"

Misa nodded. "I am surprised Ukitake-senpai has not mentioned his best friend to you," she blinked. "I will point him out to you later, he is hard to miss."

Kimiko nodded.

"So, are we friends now?" Misa tilted her head curiously.

"I don't know, are we?"

"I would like to think so,"

"Then I guess we can be," Kimiko nodded again.

Misa squealed and threw her arms around Kimiko who instantly stiffened and barely managed to suppress the urge to throw the girl across the room.

"Ah…Samuru-san…do you mind…not touching me?" Kimiko asked hesitantly.

"Eh? Gomen, you do not like to be hugged?"

Kimiko shook her head.

"Yoshi, no hugging, but still friends," Misa grinned again.

"Arigato,"

'_**She is going to get annoying**_,' Kiyoshi commented.

'_We can always sneak away_,' Kimiko retorted.

'_**She is in all our classes**_,'

'_Urusai, you don't have a problem against Aki_,'

'_**He is different**_,' Kiyoshi pouted.

Kimiko rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the sensei that had finally arrived.

* * *

Kimiko focused on what Yamamoto was telling her about summoning shikai.

This would be her first lesson with him and she already knew he would be a strict taskmaster.

"Yamamoto soitacho,"

"You may call me sensei,"

"Sensei, then, I have been to my inner world before," Kimiko told him.

"How often?"

"Only a few times," Kimiko frowned thoughtfully. "Ki-kun is always in the forefront of my mind and sees the world through my eyes. My inner world is somewhat dull and depressing and neither of us is particularly fond of visiting it."

"In order to learn shikai, you must visit it," Yamamoto instructed. "You and Kiyoshi are closer than I have ever seen a zanpakutou and its wielder; but he has been with you for a long time. However; exploring your inner world is essential if you ever wish to progress. Many wielders must fight with their zanpakutou spirit to learn anything; others quest; some just talk. It all depends on your spirit and that of your zanpakutou."

"A necessity hey?" Kimiko sighed and took up a meditative posture. "Let's see then."

She concentrated and quickly found herself in her inner world.

_She was surprised, it had changed since last time she was here._

_Before when she had visited, it had always been dull, clouds and mist hanging everywhere, blocking every bit of light._

_Now, the mist had thinned, and the clouds had broken._

_It was only minor, but the single bean of light that had escaped the thick cloudbank was beautiful._

_It fell onto the stony rock faces that littered the ground of this world and illuminated it for a dazzling display of colourful rainbows and radiant light. The rock itself now looked to be made entirely of glass whereas it used to look like frosty, ice-covered grey stone._

_Kiyoshi stood beside her._

_No longer a boy, Kiyoshi had grown with her, surpassing her height. His long white hair appeared as glossy as the white feathers in his wings and his outfit still resembled the simply leather armor and imperial purple hakama that she had always worn as the samurai hime._

"_It is beautiful," Kiyoshi observed, his eyes gleaming reflectively (even the rainbows were there)._

"_When did this happen?"_

"_Shortly after Ukitake-san came into our life,"_

"_Really? What does he have to do with my inner world?" Kimiko frowned._

"_Obviously quite a lot, and it is not just him. Look," Kiyoshi pointed to another spot in the clouds that seemed to be slowly parting. "That started to appear when Misa-san acknowledged you as her friend."_

"_So this has something to do with making friends? And why does the beam that came with Aki appear so much brighter?"_

"_I would say it has something to do with people finally acknowledging you. You finally have friends aside from me," Kiyoshi grinned._

_Kimiko nodded understanding the concept._

"_My isolated world is beginning to melt,"_

"_Exactly," Kiyoshi's wings fluttered. "But it still has a ways to go before we will understand our abilities."_

"_Do you think this is why we couldn't go into shikai before?"_

"_Probably, but it is time for you to be getting back," Kiyoshi smiled and hugged her gently, even though he knew she wasn't skittish with him. "Work hard at making more friends."_

Kimiko jolted back to the present wit a gasp.

Yamamoto was kneeling before her.

She grinned brightly and Yamamoto's breath stopped coming for a moment.

This girl was a deception…

* * *

**A/N:** so, that last part, now that I'm reading over it, kind of made me think of Naruto…that wasn't even remotely intentional…review?


	17. Bonding

**Disclaimer**** applies.**

**A/N:** …so…I'm extremely sorry won't cut it this time…I had this chapter all written out almost a month ago now *bows head in shame* and I can only claim final assessments as an excuse for one week…for some reason it just took me a ridiculously long time to get it all typed…but enjoy…

* * *

PART THREE – A TRIO FORMS

BONDING

Shunsui's hand bounced on his knee as he stared across the yard.

He was acting jealous, he knew it, but Jyuushiro was _his_ best friend and lately the only times the Ukitake was in the same place as Shunsui was when they were in class or asleep in their dorm.

Jyuushiro was always rushing off the second he spotted the weird, harsh kouhai. And she appeared _everywhere_.

Library, hallway, dinning hall, yard, training yards.

Shunsui had noticed that the group surrounding her had grown lately, so she was obviously making friends; how she made them with her unfriendly attitude and cold exterior, he didn't know.

Right this second though, Jyuushiro was crouched beside her, laughing at something one of those friend's had said.

His eyes narrowed, but he was startled when a millisecond later that eerie, two-coloured gaze met his, reaching across the yard.

He glared; she had obviously sensed his eyes on her.

She just stared back for a yawning moment, unblinking, then her own gaze narrowed.

It was only a slight narrowing, barely noticeable.

But the glare was hard to mistake.

An involuntary shiver went down Shunsui's spine and Katen Kyoukotsu seemed to go on the defensive.

Message sent, Kimiko turned her eyes away.

"Senpai, your friend is glaring," she spoke quietly to her senpai so no one would overhear. "Perhaps you should go and be with your own classmates for a while?"

"Trying to get rid of me, Kimiko-san?" Jyuushiro joked, fighting a pleased grin at the appearance of the tiny blush that stole across her cheeks whenever he said her name.

He winked and stood, brushing himself off.

"Ukitake-senpai, where are you going?" one of Kimiko's new male friends pouted. "You promised to help us with kidou theory. Our test is tomorrow and if we don't pass, we wont get to start learning the practical."

"I'll be in the library later, I can help you for a while then, but I suggest you try asking your friend here for assistance," he pointed down at Kimiko who only blinked. "She knows more than she lets on."

With that, Jyuushiro grinned, bowed slightly out of politeness for some of their ranks and headed back over to his friends.

"Nice of you to join us," Shunsui spoke sarcastically.

Jyuushiro pulled a face at him and started to discuss an assignment with their friends.

Shunsui glanced back over at Kimiko.

Her eyes darted between her friends as they spoke boisterously but she never seemed to contribute.

What was it about her?

He had heard rumors, people talking to Sakura when she asked mostly, and all they ever said was that Kimiko never paid attention in class, hardly ever had her homework done, and just barely managed to pass her tests.

Gossip also said that she often spoke back to her sensei when they were picking on her peers and seemed to make most of her sensei wary thanks to the cold, calm way she set them straight.

This Shunsui couldn't believe. He had dealt with those same sensei last year, and they weren't the kind to be put in their place, nor be scared by a student.

'_**Unless they know something**_,' Katen Kyoukotsu whispered. '_**There is something about her after all…it's like the reverse of Ukitake's situation. Even different from ours**_.'

Shunsui's eyes narrowed as his gaze went to the girl in question once again.

She was taller than the average teen female; slim without being too skinny…but with those eerie eyes, harsh features and almost flat chest, Shunsui still couldn't see what was drawing his best friend to her.

* * *

That night found Jyuushiro helping to tutor Kimiko's friends in the library.

Shunsui's eye twitched as he stopped in the entrance, watching.

No wonder Jyuushiro's grades were slowly dropping, he had no time to do his own work.

"He's too nice for his own good," Niito stated from beside Shunsui. "Inari isn't even here."

Shunsui had noticed that.

"I saw her headed towards the training yards before," Kanata told them.

There was a pause.

"I think I might go speak to her," Shunsui decided. "One of you see if you can't save Shiro-chan."

This time of night the training yards were usually mostly empty. A few sixth years sometimes used them, but that was it and tonight was no exception.

"Kyouraku," a senpai drew his attention. "You lost something?"

"Looking for someone actually," Shunsui nodded. "A kouhai that wears a green scarf."

"The one with the scary eyes?"

"That would be her."

"Oi, don't mess with that onna," the senpai frowned. "She's young, but I've never seen a woman let alone a girl with eyes like that."

"I just need to ask her something," Shunsui defended himself.

"She was headed for the dojo."

"At this time of night?" Shunsui frowned and headed off.

Students didn't use the dojo unless it was a private session with an instructor…and none of those sessions happened so late into the night.

Shunsui paused when the dojo came into view.

It was dark, not even a single candle was burning.

The door was slightly ajar and he peered through the crack, moving as quietly as possible.

Inside was pitch black, the moonlight filtering in from the door slicing harshly into the shadows.

Shunsui pushed the shoji back just a little further, enough for him to slip inside.

He stood for a moment, hoping his eyes would adjust.

And finally he noticed the silence in the dojo, not even the creak of old wood was present.

He shivered and Katen Kyoukotsu hummed nervously.

With Jyuushiro's help, Shunsui and Katen Kyoukotsu had been learning to sense reiatsu.

Now Katen didn't like _not_ being able to sense things.

'_**She's in here somewhere**_,' the zanpakutou hissed uneasily. '_**I can tell, even if I can't sense her presence**_.'

Katen Kyoukotsu liked the shadows.

Shunsui slipped the shoji closed, plunging them all the way into darkness, and his eyes adjusted quickly.

_There_.

He turned and moved towards the figure he could just barely make out in the corner.

'_**There's a candle right there**_,' Katen Kyoukotsu guided him. '_**Light it. It seems as if the girl is asleep**_.'

Shunsui had to agree; he could hear the soft, even breathing.

He lit the candle as quietly as possible, illuminating the corner of the dojo.

Kimiko didn't seem to stir.

Shunsui sat, mesmerized for a second.

Her features were softer in sleep, the light seeming to dance a glow on her skin.

Who would have guessed her face was transformed when she slept? The absence of the harsh and icy mask she always wore made all the difference.

Shunsui frowned.

Was it just him or did she look a little bit like Sakura?

Perhaps all those from the Royal Realm had similar features?

Before he could stop himself, Shunsui was reaching out to touch her cheek.

The aura in the room darkened and Shunsui's fingers froze mere inches from her skin.

There was nothing to suggest she had woken up…

'_**Let sleeping tigers lie**_,' Katen Kyoukotsu reprimanded.

For once, Shunsui decided to listen, and withdrew his hand, frowning.

He sighed heavily.

"Jyuushiro is currently in the library tutoring _your_ friends," he spoke as quietly as he could. "I know he considers you a friend and that is the only reason he does such things, so I would have thought you would be there too…he's been spending so much time with you that his own studies have begun to suffer. He really is too nice for his own good and if I say something he'll tell me off and think I'm just jealous; but there's more to Jyuushiro than he lets on, and if his health suffers because he's helping your friends and panicking about his own work, I won't be accountable for my own actions."

With that, Shunsui stood and headed off.

As he slipped out the door, her eyes came open.

'_**I do not think he realized you were awake the entire time he was here**_,' Kiyoshi commented.

Kimiko shrugged and got to her feet. '_Aki does have health problems, remember? I can't have him getting sick for the reasons stated_.'

'_**I do not see why the noble does not just speak to his friend himself instead of coming to you**_,' Kiyoshi sniffed.

Kimiko shrugged again, stretching, and blew out the candle, she would need to find somewhere else to sleep now.

The corridors seemed surprisingly quiet.

Had she been asleep for longer than she had realized?

"Kimiko-san?"

Kimiko's gaze swung up to meet Jyuushiro's.

"Senpai?" she was surprised to see him there.

"I finally escaped your friends," he grinned bashfully.

"Escaped?"

"Ah," he nodded. "They're very enthusiastic about doing well in their studies."

"Gomen, I tried to teach them a little but I'm a little behind on my reading it seems,"

"You don't take notes in classes?"

"The sensei are really hard to pay attention to," she admitted dryly.

"So the rumors are true?"

"Rumors?" Kimiko sighed heavily. Would she never be free of annoying gossip? "What are they saying here?"

Jyuushiro shrugged awkwardly, he thought she had known.

"Ah, senpai, I ran into your friend," Kimiko recalled, changing the subject to put him back at ease.

"I've told you to call me Jyuushiro, not senpai, or do you still not remember my name?" he sweatdropped at the faint blush that spread across her cheeks. "Which friend did you meet?"

"Ah, you're closest one," Kimiko frowned. "Tall, kind of hairy…"

"Shunsui?"

"That's him," Kimiko nodded. "Someone pointed him out to me once."

"What did he want?" for some reason dread was settling in his stomach.

Kimiko shrugged. "It shouldn't be my business; you should talk to him."

Jyuushiro frowned in concern.

He gasped as his lungs suddenly constricted and coughs wracked his body, scalding blood forcing its way up his windpipe.

This had hit him too suddenly, he hadn't been feeling ill at all.

It took him a moment, but he registered a warm hand on his shoulder and a calm, husky voice murmuring soothing words to him.

He managed to gulp in air between coughs and the strong scent of cinnamon hit him; all at once he could breathe easier and after a few more coughs, the fit calmed and he could fully breathe again, albeit in wheezes instead of steady breaths.

He spat the lingering blood from his mouth and half collapsed towards the soothing spicy scent.

"Careful," Kimiko spoke softly as she supported Jyuushiro.

'_**He is heavier than he looks**_,' Kiyoshi commented.

"Mmh," Kimiko acknowledged and glanced at the blood splattered on the floor.

She reached into her gi for her handkerchief and used the usually useless piece of cloth to ineffectually mop up the red stains.

"That wont do, but at least no one will slip," she said to no one in particular.

Then, using her sleeve, she whipped the blood off Jyuushiro's mouth, noticing that he was starting to burn up.

"Ki-kun, which way was the infirmary?" Kimiko wondered as she hoisted Jyuushiro to his feet; thankfully he was still conscious enough to walk, however unsteadily.

"Aki, let's go," she steered him, his arm over her shoulders as she followed Kiyoshi's directions.

"Aki?" Jyuushiro's voice was hoarse.

"Mmh," Kimiko nodded. "I guess you could call it my nickname for you."

"You…gave me…a nickname?" he managed a weak smile, his words halting thanks to the wheezing.

"Ah," she nodded. "But don't worry about that now. I think Ki-kun has gotten us lost."

"Ki-kun?" he seemed to be loosing consciousness and Kimiko jolted him to keep him awake.

"Which way to the infirmary?" she demanded.

He pointed shakily, giving short instructions as they slowly progressed.

They couldn't have reached their destination a moment too soon.

As Kimiko was pushing back the shoji, Jyuushiro started coughing again, and she and a nurse helped him to the closest futon.

"It seems to be a good thing that I chose to come in today," Kimiko looked up at the gentle voice.

The young woman was serenely beautiful with her smooth skin, glossy black hair and soft features. She couldn't have been more than a few years older than any of the students here.

She knelt beside Jyuushiro, speaking soothing words to him as she placed glowing palms to Jyuushiro's chest.

Jyuushiro tensed, cringing, but the coughs stopped again and Kimiko let out a little sigh of relief.

"Is this the first you have witnessed of one of Jyuushiro-kun's attacks?" the woman asked.

"Yes," Kimiko nodded.

"You handled yourself very well," she complimented. "Better than I have seen anyone handle it before."

"I'm no stranger to blood," Kimiko shrugged. "I've never seen anyone cough it up for no apparent reason; but it isn't an unfamiliar sight."

"Sounds as if you have seen war. You must be one of the two who came here from the Royal Realm, am I correct?"

Kimiko nodded.

"Yamamoto Soutaicho mentioned you to me. I am Unohana Retsu."

"Inari Kimiko,"

They fell into a comfortable silence, during which time Jyuushiro's breathing began to gradually calm.

"Does this happen often?" Kimiko finally asked.

"Rarely quite this bad, but yes, though amazingly this is the first time since he has been back this year."

Silence descended again until Unohana sat back.

"We will move him to a private room and keep him here until he is well enough to return to his room," she informed Kimiko. "Curfew is soon, you should head back to your dorm."

"Ah…" Kimiko hesitated. "Is there any chance I can stay here tonight? I can't sleep in my room and it's quiet here."

"Whyever not?"

Kimiko hesitated again. "I'm not used to sleeping on a proper bed, and even less used to sharing a room. Besides, my roommate snores, it's very unladylike."

Unohana chuckled. "Unfortunate as that is, you cannot."

"Yama-sensei knows I don't sleep in my room," Kimiko told her. "What if I asked him to let me sleep here tonight?"

Unohana was surprised by this.

"Is there a reason he has not just given you a room to yourself then?"

Kimiko nodded. "I'm afraid it's a bit of a paranoia thing; it's been years since I've been able to sleep in such close proximity to other people."

"Paranoia? Does that have something to do with war as well?"

"Somewhat,"

Now Unohana could see the teen getting uncomfortable, from the start she had been able to tell that this wasn't something Kimiko felt comfortable sharing.

At the continued silence, Kimiko shrugged and turned to leave, saying she'd just find somewhere else to sleep.

"Ki-mi…"

Both young women glanced around in surprise when the name fell from Jyuushiro's lips, a troubled frown marring his feverish features.

"Did he just say 'Kimi'?" Kimiko clarified.

"Ah," Unohana nodded.

"It's been a long time since anyone called me Kimi," Kimiko frowned thoughtfully. "That was quite a surprise."

There was a pause of silence.

"Tell him I hope he feels better," Kimiko told the older woman. "And someone should tell his roommate."

"Kyouraku-kun? He usually finds his way down here whenever Jyuushiro-kun is unwell," Unohana smiled slightly. "No one ever needs to tell him."

Kimiko nodded and tilted her head in polite goodbye before turning to leave again.

"Inari-san,"

She turned back.

"Where are you going to sleep?"

Kimiko shrugged. "I'm sure I'll find somewhere. A corner somewhere is fine by me."

Unohana hesitated. "Then I suppose lending you a bed for one night will do you no harm."

"No thanks,"

"I insist."

Kimiko shivered involuntarily at the sudden dangerous change in Unohana's voice.

"Ah, domo?" she frowned, you didn't mess with that tone.

Unohana smiled and indicated.

Kimiko followed her to a small room that consisted of a folded futon and a small side table.

"Will this do?"

Kimiko nodded, she would end up sleeping against the wall anyway.

Unohana closed the shoji as she left and Kimiko sat against the far wall.

Based on the noises and muffled voices, and also judging from the faint, erratic fluttering of Jyuushiro's reiatsu, they had moved him to the room next to her.

Kiyoshi reached out unconsciously, checking on the white haired teen and blanketing him with a sense of calm in the hopes that it would help him feel better.

When the noises stopped, Kimiko settled more comfortably into the wall and drifted off.

* * *

Jyuushiro slowly came to, the comforting warmth that surrounded him still lingering, and the spicy scent of cinnamon remaining.

Blinking his eyes open and turning his head, he was surprised to spot Shunsui napping against the wall of his room…for some reason he had been sure Kimiko had been nearby.

He took a moment to self-assess his condition.

There was still an unpleasant tightness to his chest and a few tiny aches, but overall he didn't feel too bad; which was surprising considering what he remembered of the attack.

Testing himself, Jyuushiro slowly pushed himself into a sitting position.

Only minimal persisting dizziness.

He wondered how long he had been asleep this time around.

He must have made a noise, because Shunsui's eyes came open.

"You're awake?" his friend seemed surprised.

Jyuushiro nodded. "How long was I out?"

"One night,"

"Eh?" the two friends blinked at each other in confusion, both knew the nature of Jyuushiro's attacks well by now.

Shunsui leant forward and put the back of his hand to Jyuushiro's forehead.

"You still have a fever," he observed.

"Have you been here all night?" Jyuushiro wondered.

Shunsui nodded. "Pretty much, why?"

"Was Kimiko-san here?"

Shunsui tensed and shook his head. "I hear she brought you in but I haven't seen her."

"What did you say to her?"

"I've never spoken to her," Shunsui blinked, surprised. "Why?"

Jyuushiro frowned.

"Why did you think she was here?"

Jyuushiro shrugged, he couldn't explain it.

There was silence until Unohana came in.

If she was surprised to see Jyuushiro awake, she didn't show it, checking him over with her usual precision.

"Looks as if you may be well enough to leave tonight if your fever comes down," she informed him. "But I do not want you in class tomorrow either. An extra day of rest will do you good."

Jyuushiro nodded his understanding.

He gasped in surprise as a sudden sense of loss hit him and Sougyo no Kotowari whined.

Unohana and Shunsui watched him in questioning concern.

He shook his head. "It was nothing."

"I like your new friend," Unohana commented as she mixed him some fever medication.

"New friend?"

"Inari Kimiko,"

"Ah, she's nice, ne?" Jyuushiro grinned.

"She's seems to have an amazingly strong constitution," Unohana agreed. "Yamamoto Soutaicho has told me she has a powerful fighting spirit."

Jyuushiro and Shunsui wore identical curious frowns.

"She left just a moment ago,"

"She was here?" Jyuushiro blinked.

Unohana nodded. "You cannot sense her reiatsu either I take it, judging from your surprise, can you?"

Both boys shook their heads.

How peculiar," Unohana frowned thoughtfully and handed a cup to Jyuushiro. "Drink this."

Jyuushiro did as instructed.

* * *

Misa bounded up to Kimiko and bounced around her in an obvious combination of excitement and nerves.

"What is it?" Kimiko asked, mostly because the other girl wouldn't stop the annoying bouncing until she had said her piece.

"Class test results and rankings will be announced first thing tomorrow morning," Misa told her.

"So?"

"If we pass we get to start practical, remember?"

Kimiko nodded recalling something of that nature.

"If we do not pass, we have to do supplementary theory classes while everyone else gets to learn practical kidou, and we are already four months into first year and a month behind the advanced class."

"So?" Kimiko shrugged.

"You are not ashamed to be in the lower class, are you?" Misa frowned, realizing.

Kimiko shook her head. "Why should I be?"

"Do you not realize that you get compared to Sakura-hime because you are both from the Royal Realm?" Misa wondered.

"People have always compared me to the royals, it isn't anything new."

"We are all striving to be able to get into the advanced class next year…are you saying you are not aiming to prove yourself?"

"The only person one should aim to prove oneself to _is_ themselves," Kimiko shrugged. "Being in the advanced class doesn't impact how well a person will survive once they've left the academy."

"But it impacts placement within the twelve squads as well as how high we climb. Advanced students are more likely to be seated right off."

"You know that, for the most part, the children of head's of noble houses will still take the top seats and most of them aren't even in this academy," Kimiko raised a single eyebrow. "And seated spots are ranked through fights in most of the squads. If you can defeat the seated shinigami you receive their rank."

"Nobles will not always command the Gotei," Misa insisted. "Ukitake-senpai is proof. He is a genius and not a noble. You cannot tell me that he will not climb to the top someday."

"I knew there was a reason he didn't instantly annoy me," Kimiko murmured to herself, her attention turning back to her snowy haired friend.

'_**I can sense him nearby**_,' Kiyoshi alerted her.

It had been a week since his fit and she had spotted him around a few times, up and about once again.

With him spending all his time with his friends again, Kimiko assumed his noble friend had voiced his concerns to Jyuushiro. She, on the other hand, hadn't spoken to him since his attack.

"Well, I have to be off," Kimiko turned abruptly, recalling the lesson with Yamamoto she needed to get to.

"Eh?" Misa blinked. "But we have a study session with Yoshito-sensei."

"And _I_ have an appointment with Yamamoto, I'm sure Yoshito-sensei will get over it," Kimiko shrugged. "I'll stop by later," she added before heading off.

Misa frowned at her back as she watched the taller girl leave.

Inari Kimiko was somewhat abrupt and always distracted, but it hadn't taken her classmates long to accept her. Kimiko stood up for them and defended them when the need arose, and always tried to help them if she could. Just as Jyuushiro had told them, she was smarter than others realized and lent them study support if she had read up on the subject. Despite her stony exterior and eerie gaze, Kimiko was an honest, open and friendly person, albeit a hesitant one.

"Samuru-san?"

Misa glanced up to the friendly smile of Ukitake Jyuushiro in front of her.

"Senpai, I heard from Kimiko-san that you were unwell, are you recovered now?"

Jyuushiro nodded. "I was actually hoping you could tell me where Kimiko is? I haven't seen her seen her since I got sick and I wanted to talk to her."

Misa glanced at Kyouraku Shunsui when she caught, from the corner of her eye, his body tensing ever so slightly.

"You just missed her, senpai. She mentioned an appointment with Yamamoto-sensei though,"

"Yama-?" Jyuushiro blinked.

Misa nodded. "She said she would come past the library later for a study session we have if you want to see her, or shall I pass on a message?"

"Just say 'hello' I suppose," Jyuushiro seemed disappointed. "In case I don't see her."

Misa nodded and bowed her head politely before leaving them.

Jyuushiro sighed, looking in the direction of the office of the Soutaicho.

To say he was worried was an understatement. It was eating away at his insides! Thoughts of Kimiko being disgusted or afraid of what she had experienced were making his stomach churn constantly.

In the time he had spent with her, Jyuushiro had come to know that Kimiko didn't avoid confrontations and was honest with her troubles if they concerned others.

Perhaps she needed some time? He chewed on his bottom lip and Sougyo no Kotowari whined with the thought. His zampakutou seemed to miss her presence.

"Jyuushiro?" Shunsui drew his friend's attention.

Jyuushiro was still a little peeved about what Shunsui had admitted to him regarding his feelings about Kimiko, but he accepted that his friend had been worried for a reason; Jyuushiro's grades had dropped and now he just had to learn to find a balance between his friends, Kimiko and her friends, and his studies, he still had his (secret) scholarship to think of.

The friends headed to dinner before the library, having their own tests to worry about.

Yet Jyuushiro couldn't stop his mind from drifting.

Kimiko hadn't been at dinner and had never made it to the library.

His mind turned to her smile and he sighed; he wanted to see that smile again, it hadn't appeared at all since the first time he had met her.

Fed up with himself and distracted, Jyuushiro excused himself and headed for Yamamoto's office.

'_**She is still in there**_,' the echoes of Sougyo no Kotowari's voice spoke to him as he rounded a corner.

'_How do you know_?'

'_**She is in there**_,' Jyuushiro could almost make out what may have been a shrug.

Her lack of reiatsu was disturbing and disorienting for someone like Jyuushiro, who had grown accustomed to identifying people by their reiatsu, however small. Yet he, and Sougyo no Kotowari especially, often still managed to sense her presence when she was nearby.

Jyuushiro had only taken a few more steps when the sound of a wooden flute reached his ears.

The melody was sweet, unhurried and beautifully executed; yet there was a complex depth to the notes that made the tune hauntingly sad and bittersweet.

Jyuushiro closed his eyes, listening, compelled unconsciously to move closer.

Could music have a _feel_ to it? An individual, unique presence? He wondered, because there was something about the sounds to this particular melody…

It cut off suddenly and his eyes flew open.

"Jyuushiro-kun,"

Jyuushiro jumped at the sound of Yamamoto's voice.

He excused himself and pushed back the shoji, entering and bowing politely to his sensei.

Yamamoto stared him down, expectant.

"Ah, ano," Jyuushiro scratched the back of his head nervously. "I was looking for Kimiko-san."

Yamamoto nodded his head and Jyuushiro turned to spot Kimiko sitting against the wall, blinking at him, the shakuhachi held loosely in her hand identifying where and who the melody had been coming from.

"Kimiko-chan was just letting me hear her musical talents," Yamamoto informed Jyuushiro, his voice gruffer than usual, as if there was some deeply hidden emotion in it.

"I heard. It was beautiful," Jyuushiro smiled at Kimiko, who blushed and scratched her cheek.

The blush brightened considerably and Kimiko cringed when her stomach growled loudly.

Yamamoto picked up a writing brush.

"We worked through dinner again; take this to the kitchen," he held up the note. "They know to feed you."

"They must be getting sick of seeing me," Kimiko stood and moved to take the note, before turning to Jyuushiro. "You said you were looking for me, would you like to walk with me?"

Jyuushiro nodded.

"Ja, Yama-sensei," Kimiko waved over her shoulder.

"Do not get lost this time," was his only reply.

"Lost?" Jyuushiro wondered as the shoji was shut behind them and they headed off.

"I tend to get sidetracked and lose my sense of direction a lot," Kimiko shrugged. "But I find everything eventually anyway…sometimes it just takes a little longer than it should."

"What is it that sidetracks you?"

"…just about everything," she admitted. "Seireitei is so different to the Royal Realm, it's just so fascinating."

"Different? Really? How so?" Jyuushiro himself was fascinated now.

"Well, to start with, what I've seen of the living conditions in the towns and villages is better here; the Royal Realm on the other hand, has far too much poverty. Many people are lucky to have a sheltered place to sleep much less wall to shield the wind. Add to that the constant rebellions and even more are left with nothing in a single night."

"That sounds horrible," Jyuushiro frowned.

Kimiko nodded. "Many of the forests are long gone, either logged for building purposes or purposefully burnt done by enemies. And winter there is brutal," she shivered just thinking of some of the storms she had seen blow through.

"Do the nobles not help their people?"

Kimiko snorted. "As if they would ever deign to notice. They are most of the problem. "Who else could afford to start a war against the Spirit King?"

"Are you not noble blood?"

"Hell no," Kimiko made a face of distaste.

"Yet you're the Spirit King's ward?"

"There are other reasons for that," Kimiko's bearing set stubbornly and Jyuushiro knew not to broach the subject again.

They fell into silence and little did either of them know but they were both communicating with their own zanpakutou.

Jyuushiro was attempting not to blush (glad that she couldn't hear) and stop Sougyo no Kotowari's mantra that Kimiko smelt so pretty; her spicy scent so different and welcome compared to the salty scent of the sea that encompassed Jyuushiro's Inner World.

Kimiko was listening to Kiyoshi's observations on Jyuushiro and his spirit; fighting the urge to roll her eyes at his need to work out everything about her friend.

'_**His zanpakutou is a lively one**_,' Kiyoshi told her. '_**Stranger than we've ever sensed before**_.'

'_How so_?' Kimiko wondered.

'_**Temperamental yet calm at the same time; loud but still quiet**_,' Kiyoshi explained. '_**There are many opposites veering for domination, even so they appear to always remain perfectly balanced**_.'

Kimiko shook her head. '_That sounds…not a bit like Aki_.'

'_**Well, we still have yet to see all the sides to him**_,' Kiyoshi actually sounded excited about that.

Both Kimiko and Kiyoshi paused in their conversation, spotting something in the sky as they passed a window.

Kimiko frowned at the shimmering line…was that a tear in the sky?

"Kimiko-san?"

Her attention flicked back to Jyuushiro who had turned back to her from a few steps ahead.

She glanced back out at the sky, but whatever she thought she had seen was gone.

She moved to follow Jyuushiro.

"I never asked why you came looking for me?" Kimiko tilted her head to look sideways up at him.

"Ah, I was worried,"

"Worried?"

"What you saw…I'm sorry you had to witness it."

"What is it that I witnessed?" Kimiko frowned.

"Last week…"

"Oh, you mean when I got sick?" Kimiko's features smoothed out. "The woman who looks after you, she told me they aren't usually that bad?"

Now Jyuushiro was frowning, confused.

"You seem…unfazed…?"

Kimiko frowned up at him. "Of course I'm not _unfazed_. It's horrible to have to go through that on a regular basis, I can't even imagine how much it must hurt you."

"Me? I'm worried about _you_!"

"_Me_? Eh? Whatever for?" Kimiko blinked.

"I've lost friends because of this. People are always worried they'll catch it; or they're afraid of blood; the list of excuses is practically endless."

Kimiko snorted disapprovingly. "What bakas. They can't be very good friends if they bolt at the first sign of trouble."

Hope and relief blossomed in Jyuushiro's stomach.

"So you haven't been avoiding me?"

"Not intentionally. I don't really avoid people unless there's a good reason to."

Jyuushiro sighed in relief.

"You really thought I was afraid of you?" Kimiko frowned.

He nodded. "Force of habit, I guess."

Kimiko made a disapproving noise. "I've seen far worse things than someone coughing up blood…and I've probably _seen_ more blood than you've coughed up in your entire life."

Jyuushiro frowned at that comment.

Silence stretched.

"_Are_ you contagious?" Kimiko wondered.

"No!"

"Okay, just curious. Wouldn't matter anyway; I've begun to think that I _can't_ get sick."

"That must be nice," Jyuushiro sighed wistfully.

"I suppose," she shrugged. "It's weird when you're the only person in the country to _not_ catch something though."

"That would be awkward," Jyuushiro agreed.

Kimiko glanced up at him.

"Do you mind if I ask about your illness?"

"Not really,"

"Have you always had it?"

Jyuushiro shrugged. "Apparently it first shrugged itself when I was a year old, we don't know if I contracted it or was born with the gene."

"I take it it's incurable?"

He nodded.

"That's unfortunate."

He nodded again.

"I guess that's why you're here than?"

"What do you guess?"

"You aren't noble and forced to be here at the academy so I'm assuming you want to do something with your life, right? Help some people before your illness inevitably claims you?"

"Something like that," Jyuushiro was surprised that she had grasped so much about him so quickly…he still couldn't figure _her_ out.

"Do you have people you want to protect?"

He nodded, confused by the question.

A gentle smile formed on her lips, softening her features.

"I just developed a whole new respect for you, Jyuushiro."

The world tilted.

His heart stopped beating.

She had said his name! Not Ukitake, no suffix, just his given name.

"Are you okay?" Kimiko frowned. "You have a funny look on your face."

"Fine," Jyuushiro cleared his throat. "Just glad you remember my name."

"Of course, you should feel honored," that gentle, barely there smile softened her features again and the twinkle in her eyes told him she was teasing.

"You called me something else that night…?"

Pink tinged her cheeks.

"Aki," she agreed.

"You nicknamed me to help you remember?"

"Something like that," she hunched her shoulders, hoping to avoid the subject.

"I like it," Jyuushiro grinned. "People aren't very creative with my nicknames. It's always 'Jyuu' or 'Shiro' and various other things to do with white."

"So you don't mind if I call you Aki?"

"Not at all," Jyuushiro grinned broadly. "But in return, do I get to call _you_ by a nickname?"

"Well, most people have had no reason to call me by a nickname, they usually stick to Inari and occasionally Kimiko. So how about 'Kimi'? there are only two other people to have called me that."

"Kimi?" he tested it on his tongue. "I like it."

"Me too,"

"Those two people, are they important to you?"

"They were."

"Were?"

"Obaa-sama is deceased; I haven't seen Mamoru-san in a number of years."

"Not your parents?"

Kimiko thought back. "I think my mother used to just call me 'baby' or 'sweet' if she called me anything other than my name. I don't remember her too well."

"I'm sorry, how long ago did she pass away?"

"Obaa-sama? Maybe eleven years ago?"

"No, your mother,"

"Oh…as far as I know, she's still alive."

Jyuushiro frowned.

"Not everyone has a typical upbringing," Kimiko half smiled at his expression. "My mother did what she believed was best for me at the time and that's that."

"You don't hate her for it? The average person would," Jyuushiro tilted his head, curious.

"I'm not your average person, but then neither are you," mischief entered her bi-coloured eyes. "Besides, if she hadn't, I wouldn't be who I am today, just as you wouldn't be the same if you had never had your illness. And despite what people have said in the past, I like who I am. If my mother hadn't given me up, I wouldn't even be here."

"Well, you make a good argument," Jyuushiro grinned. "And when you put it like that, I'm glad you're here."

Kimiko seemed to study him for a moment before slowly, that beautiful, radiant smile spread across her face.

Jyuushiro's heart skipped a beat; his breathing caught, and he stared in wide eyed fascination.

She was beautiful.

"I think that's the first time anyone has ever said anything like that to me."

He smiled, there wasn't any way he could have gotten words out in that moment.

Kimiko's attention turned back to where that were headed.

"Ah," she pointed. "Kitchen."

Jyuushiro looked up. It was true, they had reached their destination.

Kimiko pushed open the door and they entered to find the head of the cooking staff sitting with a cup of tea.

"I was wondering when you would show up," the stern looking woman stood and headed for the nearest stove. "The soutaicho should really remember to let you take a break for dinner. And who is your friend?"

"This is my senpai, Ukitake Jyuushiro; Aki," (his heartbeat skipped again.) "this is Shuzuku, she runs the kitchen."

"Ukitake Jyuushiro? You are far skinnier than I would have thought," Shuzuku peered at him. "I hear you have a very healthy appetite."

"I appreciate good food is all," Jyuushiro smiled bashfully.

The woman smiled at him. "Both of you sit," she ordered and got to work.

Jyuushiro followed Kimiko's example and knelt at the table.

"Does this happen often?" he wondered.

"This?"

"Late dinner after spending time with sensei?"

Kimiko nodded.

"Shun and I have private lessons with sensei,"

"I've heard. I'm told you summoned your zanpakutou early because of those lessons."

Jyuushiro nodded agreement. "Are you doing the same?"

Kimiko shook her head but didn't offer up any other information.

"Does it have anything to do with your reiatsu?" he took a wild guess, beyond curious.

"My reiatsu?" Kimiko blinked in surprise. "What about it?"

"Well…I can't sense it at all," he admitted. "And I can sense everyone, no matter how minute."

"Sensory type?"

He shrugged.

Kimiko hesitated for a moment, watching him carefully.

"I do have a reiatsu," she finally admitted. "As far back as I can remember I've always automatically suppressed it for various reasons, and now it takes me conscious effort to not."

"How interesting," Jyuushiro was studying her curiously. "To so completely suppress it…and without effort…it seems inconceivable. Usually it's the other way around and people need to make conscious effort to suppress."

"Mmh, well, I'm an irregularity of the natural order of things."

"Nani?" he was offended by the idea.

"Joking," her lips quirked. "Would you like me to let you feel my reiatsu?"

"May I?" Jyuushiro lit up excitedly.

A small furrow of concentration formed between her dark brows.

The scent of cinnamon seemed to grow stronger and then disperse completely, her reiatsu seeming to fall into sudden existence.

Jyuushiro had to brace himself against the abrupt shift in the atmosphere.

Then he allowed himself to close his eyes and just _feel_ it.

There was a sort of iciness to it that Jyuushiro would normally associate with someone with a snow/ice zanpakutou; but also a warmth common among fire wielders. There was a smooth texture present that made no sense to him, and a weight that suggested she was, or soon would be, capable of wielding a zanpakutou. There was also a heavy darkness that sent shivers of uneasiness down his spine, but shimmers of light that lifted his heart at the same time.

Over all, Kimiko's reiatsu was one of the most unique Jyuushiro had come across in his short life.

There was no mistaking the purring noises of appreciation Sougyo no Kotowari was making this time around.

Kimiko withdrew her reiatsu and Jyuushiro opened his eyes to find her watching him.

He smiled widely. "It's beautiful. Very unique. Is it strange that it makes me think of you like a rainbow?"

"A _rainbow_?" Kimiko blinked in surprise.

Jyuushiro nodded along. "Rainbows are all about colour, right? Some colours are more obviously visible, but there's always those few shades of blue and violet that seem to fade out at the edges thanks to the radiance of those other brighter shades."

"I don't know where you're going with this," Kimiko was frowning in confusion.

"Even though those tones are no less beautiful," Jyuushiro continued. "People don't always _look_ to see them. You have this mask that everybody sees, like the vivid colours. But then the _real you_ is more like the beautiful tints of violet and blue that are hidden beside the vivid red and yellow. People don't see them unless they truly look, just as you don't let people see _you_ unless they honestly look."

Kimiko couldn't help but sweat-drop at the end of his statement.

Shuzuku set some food down in front of them.

"Shuzuku-san, senpai just compared me to a rainbow,"

"Rainbows bring a smile to people's faces after a storm, there's nothing wrong with being compared to a rainbow," Shuzuku reprimanded lightly.

"That's not the point," Kimiko sulked. "If you said something like that to anyone in the Royal Realm they'd probably laugh themselves silly."

"Why?"

Kimiko shrugged, visibly retreating back behind her stony façade once again.

"Eat up, both of you," Shuzuku finished placing the meal down before them.

"Arigato," Kimiko smiled thankfully up at her and picked up her chopsticks. "Itadakimasu," she chanted before digging in.

Jyuushiro followed suit, it didn't take more than the smell of well cooked food to wet his appetite.

Halfway through the silent meal, Kimiko paused with a piece of tofu on the way to her mouth.

"I suppose I could live with being the reason someone smiles…"

This brought out Jyuushiro's own smile, neither of them realizing just how prophetic those words truly were.

* * *

**A/N:** don't forget to review and tell me what you thought…even if you are sincerely pissed at me for taking longer than I should have…I'll do my best not to take so long with the next chapter.


	18. Fights

**Disclaimer**** applies.**

**A/N:** I know there's nothing I can say at this point in apology for the lateness, I have no idea where the time goes, it just seems to disappear! But I just gotten over a bought of change-of-season sickness and managed to finish the last few hundred words. This chapter almost made it to a 7,000 word count, it was sadly lacking an eleven letter word, but it's still long, so enjoy it!

* * *

PART THREE – A TRIO FORMS

FIGHTS

Kimiko breathed in the icy air and began to stretch out her legs.

It was dawn and you could feel winter coming in both the chilling breeze and the eerie fog that hung about.

But come rain, snow or sunshine, Kimiko refused to give up her early morning runs.

She had been noticing over the past few months that many of the girls here seemed to 'diet' to keep slim and relied heavily on their katana training as their main source of exercise.

Having mostly been exposed to war camps filled with men rather than the courtrooms filled with high class women, Kimiko didn't understand why anyone would give up half their necessary food intake rather than just doing a little extra exercise.

…it just didn't make sense to her.

The other drawback of spending so much time in the war camps was that she had grown used to rising with the sun for early morning katas with the soldiers and hours in general and now the lack of additional exercise at the academy did not suit her.

Enter her morning run.

Yamamoto had given her permission to run as far as the nearest village which she took full advantage of since there was little else to do at this time of day.

This particular morning, Kimiko felt it was necessary to go all out, both to ward off the chill and to kill off her frustration at her lack of kidou ability.

She reached the town faster than usual and slowed to a slow jog.

Even here there were very few people stirring.

A noise caught her attention and she paused, taking in her surroundings.

'_**Something is wrong**_,' Kiyoshi informed her. '_**To your right. It sounds as if someone is in trouble**_.'

Kimiko headed in the direction and quickly discovered a young girl being hassled by three men.

"What's going on?" she demanded, her voice as chilling as the air.

The girl, who looked to be about ten or eleven in age, looked to her with panicked eyes.

"None of your business, _girl_," one of the men spat at her. "This one has debts t' pay off and we came t' collect," his eyes scanned Kimiko's physique critically before an arrogant smirk stole his lips. "Unless you want ta take her place?"

"Not likely," Kimiko replied. "But I won't be letting you harm her either."

"You can't stop us," one of the men reached for the girl's arm and Kimiko's eyes steeled over.

"Don't, touch, her," she warned carefully.

The men paused.

The one who seemed to be the leader turned to fully face her now, seeing the threat in her eyes.

"You going to fight us jo-chan*?" he spat disbelievingly. "I'm the strongest in these parts, you wouldn't stand a chance."

"I wouldn't bet on it if I were you," Kimiko challenged coolly.

The baka drew his katana in reply and Kimiko's hand went to Kiyoshi's hilt at her back.

"If I beat you," Kimiko told him. "You hand over the girl to me."

The man nodded, too sure of himself. "And if I win, I get you."

Kimiko rolled her eyes as she nodded and drew her blade.

Kiyoshi sang as he left his sheath.

It was over in an instant. The idiot charged and Kimiko casually stepped aside, bringing Kiyoshi up to slip into an opening and disarm him.

To her credit, she had restrained herself. He had only lost a finger rather than his life, but it achieved the same goal.

The other two, now fearful, men picked up their screaming leader and hauled him away quicker than Kimiko had thought they could move, leaving the girl behind.

Kiyoshi was sheathed and Kimiko's features smoothed out unthreateningly.

"What's your name?" she asked the frightened girl.

"Nomoko,"

"Nomo-chan, where are your parents?"

"Kaa-chan is gone, tou-chan is dead,"

"So you're alone?"

Nomoko nodded.

"Would you like to come with me?"

"Where?"

"I'm a student at the shinigami academy, my sensei will know what to do with you."

"Do with me?" Nomoko whispered fearfully.

"Gomen," Kimiko tried to soothe her. "He will know somewhere safe to send you. I am not very familiar with Seireitei."

"What is your sensei like?"

Kimiko thought about it for a moment, what was the best way to describe Yamamoto?

"He is a strong person, but a caring one," she settled on lamely.

After a pause, Nomoko nodded. "I'll go with you."

Kimiko managed a slight, reassuring smile and indicated the girl should follow her, turning back in the direction of the academy.

"You never told me your name," Nomoko mentioned when they were halfway back.

"Ah, gomen," Kimiko blinked in surprise. "I'm Inari Kimiko."

The walk back was a long one with their slow pace, as well as a silent one. Nomoko seemed quiet and reserved, and Kimiko had never been good at starting conversations.

It was a welcome relief when the academy came back into sight and Kimiko led Nomoko to see Yamamoto.

"Kimiko-chan, I believe I was warned about you picking up strays," Yamamoto studied them, hiding his emotions just as well as he always did. "But what do you expect me to do with her?"

Kimiko shrugged. "I don't know Seireitei well enough to send her anywhere myself."

"Very well," his expression was momentarily thoughtful. "I leave for my home tomorrow, perhaps someone will be in need of a new maid."

"Arigato, sensei," Kimiko managed a quirk of an appreciative smile.

"She can stay in your room for tonight," Yamamoto instructed.

Kimiko nodded and bowed briefly before leaving.

* * *

Kimiko huffed and put her fists on her hips sulkily, glaring murderously at the untouched target across the hall.

Her kidou was an absolute failure.

Even the worst of her classmates could produce _something_.

Even a tiny fizzle of air was less embarrassing than _nothing_.

She had summoned her zanpakutou at the age of _six_ for Kami's sake; why couldn't she produce any sort of kidou?

Even those classmates who got the wording to their spells wrong managed _something_.

Kimiko sat heavily, legs and arms crossed, lips pouting.

"Let's just hope that you aren't a kidou-type, shall we?" she muttered to Kiyoshi.

'_**That seems wise**_,' Kiyoshi agreed.

Kimiko looked around to the door when she sensed Jyuushiro approaching.

She had come to like the way he sought her out; she had never really expected to have a friend quite like him.

He spotted her as he was passing the open shoji, his friends surrounding him.

"Ah, Kimi," he grinned and waved.

She waved back, fighting off a blush at the sound of her "nickname".

Jyuushiro told his friends to go on ahead and moved to crouch beside her.

"What are you doing here?" he wondered, still smiling brightly.

"Attempting kidou,"

"Oh," he lit up even more. "I love kidou. How are you liking it?"

She hunched her shoulders ever so slightly and changed the subject.

"What are you and your friends doing?"

"Shun and I were going to spar with our zanpakutou, and Kanata and Niito decided to tag along and watch. Want to tag along too?"

Kimiko would have liked to. She liked to see other peoples fighting styles…but she had seen that his friends still hadn't warmed up to her before they moved along.

"Maybe next time," she hedged.

A disappointed frown formed between his brows.

"But I want you to come along," he pouted.

He wanted…

"Next time," Kimiko insisted. "I really have to work on my kidou."

"But you're just sitting here. Come for a little while? _Please_?"

Kimiko rolled her eyes and sighed, giving in.

Jyuushiro grinned excitedly, seeing his victory, and both climbed to their feet.

Kimiko followed him to the training room his friends had found.

Jyuushiro left her with Kanata and Niito and moved to speak to Shunsui in hushed tones.

Kimiko took the opportunity to study the two teen boys and the zanpakutou on either of their hips.

Kyouraku had two?

Kimiko frowned thoughtfully.

Did that mean he had twin spirits? Or one split into two katana? …was it even possible to have twin spirits?

Shunsui glanced over to see her frowning at his sheathed blades and his hand twitched up to its hilt automatically, self consciously.

Her eyes met his and she glanced back away.

Jyuushiro noticed the exchange and fought off a frown.

He and Shunsui stretched briefly and took a few practice swings with their blades.

Kimiko noticed Kanata's eyes on her and faced him.

He flushed nervously.

"Are they good fighters?" she wondered.

He seemed surprised by the sound of her voice (Niito as well because he turned his attention).

Kanata nodded. "Some of the best in the academy," he answered to her question.

"And that was even before they summoned their zanpakutou," Niito chimed in.

The evidence was seen plain as daylight as soon the spar/fight started.

They had the true makings of great fighters, and they never held back.

With all the war she had already lived through, it was natural instinct for Kimiko to assess their fighting styles; taking in their strengths, their weaknesses.

They moved fast, fast enough that she almost missed the extra quickstep that Kyouraku took to avoid getting sliced; but when it happened a second time, Kimiko turned to their friends, a tiny frown marring her brow.

"Does Kyouraku know Shunpo?" she questioned.

"Eh?" from Niito.

"Nani?" from Kanata.

Both blinked blankly.

Kimiko raised a questioning brow.

"They don't teach us shunpo until sixth year if we show enough potential," Kanata told her.

"That isn't what I asked."

"What makes you think he knows it?" Niito wondered.

"He keeps doing a little quickstep to avoid Ukitake's blade,"

Niito and Kanata stared intently at Shunsui's footwork, determined to see whatever it was that she had seen.

"What makes you think this step thing is shunpo?"

"I've seen it used in such ways," was all the information she offered.

"Do _you_ know shunpo?"

Kimiko let out a disbelieving noise.

"I can't even do basic kidou, I'm a long way off from knowing shunpo."

"Can you _follow_ shunpo?" Kanata asked.

"Yes,"

Two mouths dropped open in surprise.

It took people _years_ to train themselves to both follow and master shunpo. For someone their age to be able to do either…

"Who _are_ you?" came out of Niito's shocked mouth…she didn't even have reiatsu…

Kimiko blinked at him in surprise.

Then she shrugged and turned away.

"Tell Ukitake I'll talk to him later," she walked off.

"Ah!" Niito's eyes turned back at Kanata's shocked cry.

Even Shunsui and Jyuushiro stopped to look over.

"I saw it," Kanata told them.

"Saw what?" Jyuushiro wondered.

"Shunsui-kun, you know shunpo," Kanata accused.

"Eh?" Jyuushiro glanced between his friends.

Shunsui just stared back for a moment.

"How did you know?"

Dead silence yawned.

"Shunsui?" Jyuushiro looked troubled.

"How did you know?" Shunsui repeated.

"Inari-san noticed…" Kanata replied hesitantly.

"How did she notice?" Shunsui frowned.

"You were using it," Kanata frowned now too.

"No I wasn't,"

There was an uncomfortable silence in which Shunsui's friends all looked disappointed in him.

Finally Jyuushiro sighed heavily and turned away from his friend.

"I'm leaving," he announced.

"Wait, Jyuu-chan," Shunsui frowned watching his friend's back as he walked away, panic settling in his stomach when Jyuushiro's shoulders hunched but otherwise ignored him.

Jyuushiro tracked down Kimiko moments later, back in the training room she had been occupying not long before.

She looked over as he entered.

"Kimi, how could you tell that Shunsui knows shunpo?" he questioned.

"Because he was using it," Kimiko stated flatly.

"He didn't seem to think he was,"

She shrugged. "Just because he wasn't traveling a long distance doesn't mean it wasn't shunpo," Kimiko told him. "There are all different kinds of steps for shunpo. Small steps in a close range fight are more effective, just as longer steps can get you somewhere faster. Small steps originated with the samurai to aid them in their battles, while long steps originated with the shinobi to get them to and from an assassination faster."

Jyuushiro was staring at her as if she had just grown a second head.

"These days I believe that both methods have been merged together into mid-range steps and rely heavily on reiatsu ability rather than natural talents."

"I've never heard any of this," Jyuushiro frowned. "Who told you that?"

"No one," Kimiko shrugged. "I read it in a book years back. The Royal Library is quite extensive."

"It took you months to remember my name," he blinked, shocked. "Yet you remember such details you read _years_ ago."

"Names and faces aren't my strong suit, Aki, remember?"

There was a moment of silence.

"What happened with Kyouraku?" Kimiko wondered, wanting to fill the awkward gap of silence. "Was it okay to leave him?"

"I'm really quite angry now," Jyuushiro admitted. "And very hurt, but I'm not always very good at holding a grudge, so for the moment I think avoidance is best."

"Avoidance solves nothing."

"But unintentionally forgiving someone as easily forgivable as Shunsui means he wont understand how upset I really am."

Kimiko could understand that.

"Are you going back to practicing your kidou?" Jyuushiro wondered.

"I should…" Kimiko hesitated.

"Can I stay with you for a while? Do you mind?" Jyuushiro's expression seemed to be crumbling and an unfamiliar emotion swelled in Kimiko's chest.

"Why don't I show you a thing or two?" she suggested.

"A thing or two about what?"

"Fighting," Kimiko tilted her head at him. "When you were practicing just now, do you know just how many openings you had? How many times you miss stepped or lost your balance? An opponent who can easily assess those sorts of things would have killed you before you could really show your potential."

"You are obviously one of those people," the corner of Jyuushiro's lips twitched up. "You noticed Shunsui's shunpo."

"If all the things I've heard about you are true, you could easily train yourself to notice such things," she watched him, gaze unwavering.

Jyuushiro nodded without hesitation. "Teach me."

Kimiko picked up two shinnai off a wrack and handed one to him.

"To start with, it's obvious that the two of you spar with each other all the time; you're both too comfortable together and so you're not really learning anything or pushing yourself hard enough. Are you partners in class as well?"

Jyuushiro nodded.

"We need to take you out of your comfort zone then," Kimiko told him to take up his stance.

"The kata the academy teach are generalized," Kimiko walked around him, adjusting him. "You've mastered them and now you need to develop your own style. Individualized fighting styles are less predictable even if you know the same basics as your partner. Run through your kata and I'll point out your weak points."

Jyuushiro did his best to follow all of Kimiko's instructions and helpful suggestions, but he really hadn't known how many weaknesses he had until they began to spar lightly.

Even as she was jabbing him with her shinnai, she was instructing him on how to better avoid the same situation.

"You need to rely on your zanpakutou spirit," Kimiko frowned at him. "Just because you don't have your katana in hand doesn't mean they can't, or shouldn't, participate. Listen to their advice. They know your strengths and weaknesses better than anyone."

It took him a moment to grasp the concept, but after that Jyuushiro found it easy to listen to Sougyo no Kotowari and fight at the same time.

The difference was instantly noticeable.

Sougyo no Kotowari pointed out his mistakes before he made them and contributed wholeheartedly.

"You should work alone for a while," Kimiko suggested as she stepped back. "Work with your zanpakutou to create your own unique fighting style. Make sure it's easy to use but still unpredictable. Most importantly though, make sure it is comfortable for _you_."

"You make it sound so easy," Jyuushiro replied, sarcasm in his tone.

"But it is," Kimiko tilted her head to the side. "Working with yourself is easier than working with anyone else."

That made sense.

"Next time you spar with Kyouraku, I expect you to surprise the hell out of him and knock him on his arse," Kimiko grinned evilly.

"Hai," Jyuushiro agreed, grinning broadly. "What mistakes does he make when he fights?"

"Not telling," Kimiko replied in a no-arguments-allowed tone. "You won't learn anything if I make it easy on you."

Jyuushiro pouted. "No fair."

"If life were fair, we'd both be very different people."

That seemed like an awfully serious comment and Jyuushiro frowned.

"I kind of suck at kidou," Kimiko admitted.

"Well then fair is fair. You helped me so I'll help you," Jyuushiro's grin returned. "What do you do wrong?"

"Nothing. I know the spells, the hand motions, I don't do anything _wrong_…just, nothing comes out," Kimiko shrugged. "Even Yama-sensei doesn't understand it."

Jyuushiro thought about it for a moment.

"Could it have anything to do with your reiatsu?" he wondered. "Kidou takes from your reiatsu, right? And you completely suppress yours…"

"…so I need to bring my reiatsu out to do kidou?" Kimiko frowned thoughtfully. "Why does that sound so simple?"

"What do you mean?"

"I can't believe that it didn't occur to me that that's all I had to do to successfully cast a kidou spell."

Silence fell as something else occurred to Kimiko.

"I have to go talk to Yama-sensei," she stated abruptly, and headed off.

"See you around then," Jyuushiro called after her, turning his focus back to the shinnai still in his hand. "Easy for me but unpredictable to my opponent…"

* * *

Kimiko knocked on the frame of the shoji before letting herself into her sensei's office.

"Kimiko-chan?"

"I think I worked out how to summon my shikai," she announced, her eyes practically glowing with her excitement and Yamamoto's eyes turned down to the sheathed katana in her hand.

"And how would that be?"

Kimiko quickly explained Jyuushiro's theory about her using kidou.

"Give it a try then," Yamamoto instructed and Kimiko drew Kiyoshi.

Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, focusing herself, Kimiko finally noticed Kiyoshi was grinning in her mind's eye.

'_**We know the words now**_,' he told her to take her stance and whispered the words in her mind.

As Kimiko brought a controlled amount of her reiatsu screaming down, Yamamoto straightened ever so slightly in surprise as the ground quaked and gravity seemed to get heavier, every suspicion he had about this young warrior was confirmed.

The air around Kimiko seemed to distort and small rainbows shimmered in and out of focus around her.

And then Kimiko spoke the words.

"Mamorinuku kunseni nabikasu*, Kiyoshi,"

The room erupted in a blinding light that engulfed first Kimiko and then her katana; and as Yamamoto blinked that light out of his eyes he took Kimiko and Kiyoshi in.

Her once emerald headscarf and hilt ribbon had now turned as silver as her blade. The blade itself had lengthened and sharpened, the tip squaring off so that the katana had a third small, sharp, straight edge, causing it to vaguely resemble an asymmetrical triangle. The strange, foreign markings by the guard had taken on a ghostlike red glow.

The air around Kimiko continued to shimmer and she opened her eyes, revealing the eerie glow they had adopted. Her right blue iris gleamed white and her left amber eye blazed red.

"You are quite remarkable, Kimiko-chan," Yamamoto continued to study her.

Her reiatsu was no longer quaking, but that shimmer that surrounded her, and the glow in her eyes suggested it was still very much present.

Kimiko tested the new weight of Kiyoshi, absorbed the feel of their shikai.

"It feels so natural," she commented.

Yamamoto gave a nod.

He let her admire her new blade for a little longer before asking her to put it away.

"I leave tomorrow morning," Yamamoto told her as she sheathed Kiyoshi. "When I get back we can work on you gaining access to the abilities of your shikai. You should go get some rest now."

"Nomoko-chan is sleeping in my room, don't forget to take her with you tomorrow," Kimiko waved over her shoulder as she turned and left the office.

* * *

THE FOLLOWING MORNING

Kimiko started at the sound of inhuman screams followed by shouts of alarm that interrupted her morning training session.

She moved to the doors of the dojo and pushed one back, instantly spotting the dark tear in the atmosphere that various masked creatures appeared to be pouring out of.

'_**Hollow**_,' Kiyoshi spat.

"They're truly funny looking things," Kimiko commented.

'_**Whatever they look like, their target appears to be the school**_,' Kiyoshi observed. '_**Most of the students will be helpless and frightened half to death. We should help**_.'

"But of course, what else would we do?"

Kimiko moved to pull on her sandals, her eyes searching the sky, taking in where all the Hollow were landing.

"There're so many," Kimiko frowned, taking off at a run for the nearest landing spot. "The sensei won't be able to quickly handle them alone."

'_**Yamamoto-sensei picked a bad time to leave**_,' Kiyoshi sighed. '_**Let us see what it is like to battle with a Hollow**_.'

"Hai," Kimiko sped up her pace.

* * *

Shunsui couldn't help but wonder why life could be so cruel sometimes.

Of all the Hollow for him to be so unexpectedly faced with, why did it have to be one that was so much faster than him?

He had seen it fling aside two of his senpai in the blink of an eye, their fates now unknown to him.

'_**Aim for the mask, remember**_?' Katen Kyokotsu told him as he took a swing at the Hollow, who easily dodged.

"You think I wouldn't have already if I could?" Shunsui muttered and swung again quickly, this time connecting with the creature's shoulder.

The Hollow screamed and lashed out, its claws catching on Shunsui's thigh as he jumped back, tearing through material and skin.

Shunsui slashed again as he fell back.

He couldn't be sure if Katen Kyokotsu cut anything other than air as his consciousness faded to black and pain consumed his leg, but he would have sworn on his life that he could smell cinnamon…

Kimiko sliced cleanly through the Hollow mask in time to save its victim.

As the Hollow screamed and evaporated it took one last swing at Kimiko with its sharp talons, nicking her right arm.

She cursed and pulled up her sleeve.

It looked deep.

Kimiko glanced down at the victim the Hollow had been attacking and blinked in surprise, recognizing Shunsui.

"Fancy seeing you here," she muttered and crouched to inspect his bleeding thigh.

A Hollow scream not far off had her glancing over her shoulder before grabbing the larger teens arms and dragging him into the nearest abandoned classroom.

* * *

Shunsui fought with his heavy lids and won, managing to crack them open enough to see the dim classroom he was lying in.

He flinched as he felt the ache in his injured leg and thought back to what had happened.

He remembered the academy had been suddenly attacked by what seemed like hundreds of Hollows; but the last thing he remembered was his thigh being slashed and his body flying backwards as he tried to fight one back.

Leaning up on his elbows, he saw that his thigh had been bandaged with what appeared to be the sleeve of a female student's uniform.

He heard movement and glanced over to see Inari Kimiko bandaging her right arm with her remaining sleeve.

A katana was resting beside her, black Hollow blood dripping off the blade.

She glanced over, feeling his eyes on her. The usual cold, blank expression still occupied her eyes.

"Kyouraku, I'm glad you're awake. I'm afraid I'm not any good at healing, so your leg is only bandaged."

"I take it you saved me?"

She nodded. "That was one fair-sized Hollow. I doubt I would have been able to get it if you hadn't injured it first. You slowed it down considerably."

"Why did you save me?"

She blinked in surprise. "You were in trouble, why wouldn't I try to save you?"

"Almost everyone else would have run."

"Well I'm not 'almost everyone else', am I?" Kimiko raised a self-assured eyebrow. "Besides, they'll make lousy Shinigami, acting like that. I certainly hope I don't have to work with them any time in the near future."

The makeshift bandage she was still trying to tie on her arm slipped again and she started muttering curses under her breath.

Shunsui sat the rest of the way up.

"Here, let me help you with that," he indicated she should come closer.

She let him tie the bandage and then tried picking up her katana.

She cursed again, wincing, as it dropped back to the floor.

"Looks like you won't be any good if we need to fight again,"

Kimiko gave him a chilling glare that sent shivers rushing along his spine.

"I wouldn't be so sure," she sighed and sat beside him. "Thanks for this though," she indicated the bandage, which was already being soaked through by her blood.

"Just returning the favor."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"Do you know what happened to Jyuu?" Shunsui wondered.

"I'd hoped that you would tell me; you're his closest friend."

"But he's been spending more time with you lately."

Kimiko looked shocked. "The two of you share a dorm room, how could he spend more time with me? We don't even have any classes the same. Besides," she sighed. "I was training alone when all this started."

There was silence again and they heard the distant screams of Hollow and students.

Kimiko cursed. "I can't just sit here and do nothing while everyone is getting attacked. Not to mention I'd feel better if you were with Jyuushiro."

Shunsui frowned. "Me?"

She nodded. "You seem to be lazy and a bit of a womanizer, but there's more to people than their outward appearances. You and Aki would do anything to protect each other; you're a team, and you're best friends. If he were to have a fit, you'd back him. I always feel better knowing that."

Shunsui could tell she was being serious and completely honest with him.

"Wouldn't _you_ rather be there to back him up?"

Kimiko shook her head. "I would, but men in general concern themselves with protecting the women, even if those women are more than capable of protecting themselves."

"So who backs you up when you fight?"

Kimiko smiled sadly and it softened the cold set of her features.

"I'm afraid I have to make do with Kiyoshi, as I don't really have a best friend."

"Kiyoshi?"

Kimiko held up her katana in her left hand.

"Ah," Shunsui nodded his understanding. "Your zanpakutou already has a name? That's impressive for a first year so new to the academy."

Kimiko nodded. "I'm afraid we're still getting to know each other though, so I'm only just able to go into Shikai form now."

They heard the scream of a Hollow close by.

"It's getting closer," Kimiko observed.

"I'm not sure how good I'll be in a fight at the moment," Shunsui admitted, pushing himself into a standing position and testing his injured leg, cringing at the twinge of pain and weakness. "And you can't even hold your katana, let alone fight with it."

"I've already told you one secret, and my ability to go into Shikai _is_ a secret," Kimiko glared at him. "If I tell you one more, will you swear on your life not to tell?"

Shunsui nodded. "Obviously you've worked out that I hold my life very dear to me."

Kimiko stood also and held out her katana in her left hand.

She looked Shunsui in the eye and told him, "I'm not right handed."

He frowned in confusion. "I've seen you fighting in class and practices; you always fight right handed."

"And I always draw it right handed and keep my sheath on my right shoulder," she rolled her eyes. "I write with my left hand but fight with my right. I do it to throw off my opponent but also so I hold the advantage. If my opponent is weaker then I can easily defeat them without using my full strength, thereby not exhausting myself. If my right arm is injured beyond use, like right now, I will also still hold the advantage because no one would suspect that I can still use my left arm. And I _am_ stronger when I fight left handed."

Shunsui stared in shock. "How many people know this?"

"Everyone knows I write left handed and fight right handed," she frowned. "For some strange reason I can't seem to write right handed," she shook her head, getting herself back on track. "I've never told anyone that I can fight left handed."

"Why are you telling me?"

She gave him a look that clearly stated she was wondering if he was an idiot after all.

"Unless I want you trying to protect me while you're also injured, I think I'm doing the right thing. I refuse to let people die if I can help it."

Shunsui watched her carefully for a moment.

"I'm sorry to say that I think I misjudged you."

She grinned and Shunsui's heart skipped a beat.

"I'm the kind that's easy to misjudge, and I like it that way. Besides, most people are so easily blinded by Suki-chan's 'charms' that when she says I'm not a nice person, they tend to believe her."

"Why does she not like you as much as she does?"

"You've heard more than enough of my secrets to last a while. But Suki's only mean when it comes to me, so it's not as if she's a truly cruel person," Kimiko shrugged.

They heard a Hollow scream almost right outside the door to the classroom.

"Shall we go kick some Hollow butt?" Kimiko grinned.

Shunsui nodded, grinning himself.

* * *

The Hollow had all been dealt with and Jyuushiro was helping at the infirmary, having come out of the battle with only a few cuts and scrapes, unlike many others.

Exiting a room that housed two seriously injured students, Jyuushiro's heart almost stopped beating when he spotted both Shunsui and Kimiko being attended to.

"What happened?" he demanded as he reached them. "Are you both okay?"

Shunsui gave him a thumbs up. "I was saved by a lovely young woman. Most men would find that degrading, but it seems I find it rather sexy," he winked at Kimiko and Jyuushiro's gut clenched at the slight blush that tinged her cheeks.

"The sensei have him doped up on something," Kimiko told Jyuushiro, explaining away Shunsui's statement. "His leg isn't in great shape and they needed him to stop flinching every time they tried to stitch the wound closed. Did you get injured?"

Jyuushiro shook his head. "What about you? Is it serious?" he glanced down in time to see the a senpai finishing bandaging her right bicep.

"It's nothing,"

The senpai made a disapproving noise.

"Some of her nerves were severed, Unohana-san had to give her kidou aid before I stitched it to stop the heavy bleeding," he informed Jyuushiro. "She won't be using her arm for a week at the very least. It is not nothing, she is lucky she didn't lose the use of her arm altogether."

Jyuushiro frowned down at Kimiko who only shrugged.

"Does it hurt?"

"Not really,"

"You still should have taken the herbs Unohana prescribed you," the senpai reprimanded.

"Why don't you go help someone else now?" Kimiko's eyes were cold, the tiny purse of her lips showing she was annoyed. "You're done with me, right?"

Jyuushiro continued to frown at his friend as she watched the senpai go.

"Why wouldn't you take anything for the pain?" he wondered.

"I can't ingest such things,"

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said," Kimiko adjusted the sling on her arm and stood. "My body wont take pain medication, it does nothing."

"Does that have anything to do with the not getting sick thing?" Jyuushiro tilted his head to the side, undeniably curious.

"Probably," Kimiko shrugged.

Jyuushiro frowned thoughtfully for a moment. "Does it hurt? And tell me honestly."

Kimiko smiled a little at him. "Relax, it really isn't that bad."

Relief was obvious on his face as he nodded and turned to Shunsui, who was enjoying chatting up the pretty young nurse that was blushing as she tending to his leg.

"What about you, Shun?"

"Talking to me now?" Shunsui's attention shot to his friend. "The meds they have here are brilliant, I can't feel a thing," he grinned. "They reckon I was lucky the slice wasn't any deeper. It sure didn't feel so shallow before."

"Jyuushiro-kun, do you mind helping him back to his room so he can rest?" the nurse requested.

Jyuushiro nodded and helped Shunsui to his feet, for once not the one who needed support.

He looked back around to see that Kimiko had already moved off to check on her own friends.

* * *

The following three weeks were chaotic.

Reconstruction took most of that time and when classes finally resumed, the students were restless, finding it hard to settle back down with their numbers having dwindled in such a sudden and violent way.

Kimiko and Shunsui crossed paths often as they were in and out of the infirmary for checkups.

She found that Shunsui's flamboyant personality had quickly grown on her since they had fought side by side. He hid so well his true temperament behind that lazy façade of his; it was truly enjoyable to watch him as he tried to work her out…he was a truth seeker by nature, everything was seen and could be seen in those understanding eyes of his…they were easily becoming friends.

But Jyuushiro was still avoiding him and so Kimiko chose not to get involved.

Still she was glad when Jyuushiro sought her out for a training session once her arm was "working" again.

"You're doing better," Kimiko commented.

Jyuushiro shot her a glare, picking himself up off the floor for what felt like the hundredth time in the last hour.

"If I'm really better," his voice was dry. "Then why do I keep finding myself looking up at you from flat on my back?"

"You can't expect to beat me so easily when no one has before," Kimiko shrugged. "Besides, that you are ending up on your back just proves that you _have_ improved."

"How so?" he looked at her disbelievingly as he took up his stance yet again.

"Well, last time I didn't have to throw you off so hard in order to defend myself," she shrugged again. "But you need to work on getting up faster. Do you really think an enemy will let you take time to pick yourself up?" one dark eyebrow went up.

Jyuushiro attacked again and this time she threw him over her shoulder, not even using her shinnai.

On his back again.

"Why do I feel as if you aren't even fighting me with your full strength?"

"Because I'm not," Kimiko's lips quirked at the look he shot her. "The day I fight you full strength will be the day you do the same."

"I _am_ fighting you full strength!"

"No, you're not," Kimiko shook her head. "And if you continue to think so you wont ever improve. You keep saying you're good at kidou, yet I haven't seen you use it in a fight; you have a zanpakutou, but have you tried to reach shikai yet? You need to push yourself Jyuushiro, to breaking point if you must; tentative steps will only get you killed."

"But if I use kidou, then I have an unfair advantage over you," Jyuushiro frowned, the idea not sitting well with him.

"The people who survive wars are always in possession of an unfair advantage over their opponents," Kimiko retorted dryly.

"But this isn't war," Jyuushiro argued. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You wont," Kimiko told him. "I'm very good at dodging, it's an important ability to have. And you never know when war will strike or battle will rage, I know that first hand, so do you for that matter, didn't you learn anything from the recent Hollow attack? So man up Jyuushiro, because peace isn't everlasting."

Jyuushiro watched her go, frowning deeply.

* * *

"You're sitting with us again," Niito observed the following day as Jyuushiro knelt on the grass. "Have you forgiven Kyouraku?"

Jyuushiro shrugged evasively. "It's not that I'm mad anymore, but I wanted him to understand that I don't appreciate him not telling me after demanding all my secrets."

"Things around here have been awkward," Niito told him, Kanata nodding along. "He doesn't like having you mad at him. But where _have_ you been lately?"

"Around. Why?"

"Well, you haven't been sitting with Inari today, we were getting worried."

"Ah," Jyuushiro rubbed at the back of his head. "I think I made her a little angry with me."

"Eh? How? Why?"

"Just something she said to me. Where's Shunsui?"

Niito tipped his head and Jyuushiro spotted Shunsui standing on the other side of the yard with Kimiko.

Jyuushiro's stomach squeezed uncomfortably.

"What's he doing?"

"Flirting, obviously."

"Why? I didn't think he liked her."

"How should I know?" Niito shrugged. "If I understood how Kyouraku Shunsui's brain worked, life would be far less interesting."

The air left Jyuushiro's lungs as he watched his two friends together; Shunsui clearly being his most charming self and Kimiko was actually responding.

Jyuushiro had a _bad_ feeling about this…

Kimiko could feel Jyuushiro's gaze on her like a physical brand, but refused to face him.

She was still feeling quite guilty over the way she had spoken to him the night before.

Shunsui grinned. "You can feel Shiro-chan looking at us too, can't you?"

Kimiko nodded.

"I bet he's jealous as all hell right now."

"Jealous of what?" Kimiko frowned curiously.

"Well, he's quite attached to you; protective of you too," mischief sparkled in the older teen's grey eyes. "As far as he knows I don't like you. He probably has no idea why I'm even over here, may even be thinking the worst."

"The worst?"

"Well I do have a way with the ladies,"

Kimiko's eyebrow twitched. "Do I get to reject you by hitting you like I've seen other girls do?"

Shunsui pouted. "You can't reject me before I've even poured my heart out to you."

"Whyever not?"

Shunsui finally noticed the mischief sparkling in _her_ eyes and realized she was joking with him.

He leant in.

"Well, kawaii Kimi-chan, it isn't at all polite to refuse to hear a man out when it comes to such serious matters as those of the heart," there was a teasing lilt to his voice.

"I never was very good at being polite," Kimiko rolled her eyes.

There was a moment of reflective silence before Kimiko sighed heavily and crossed her arms loosely.

"What's with the sigh?" Shunsui frowned.

"Just thinking of how impolite I've been recently."

"With who?"

"Ukitake."

"Guess that explains why he hasn't come over here yet," Shunsui decided. "You must have said something pretty bad, if he isn't over here trying to talk it out with you; it wasn't about his family was it?"

Kimiko shook her head. "I don't know a whole lot about his family. But it wasn't that."

They both glanced around when someone called out to her.

"I have to go," Kimiko slipped around him. "Kidou class calls."

Jyuushiro joined Shunsui a second later.

"Since when are you friends with Kimi?"

"Since she saved my life," Shunsui retorted. "Do you have a problem with it?"

Jyuushiro shrugged, frowning.

He looked around to see Kimiko had stopped a ways off and was looking back at them both.

Jyuushiro waved and his gut clenched and lips twitched up automatically when her lips quirked and she winked before disappearing into the building.

"So you really are talking to me again?" Shunsui wondered. "Or did you just want to check about Kimiko?"

Jyuushiro's eyes snapped to Shunsui.

"Did she give you permission to use her name?"

"Not really, but she never said I couldn't when I did," Shunsui shrugged.

They watched each other in silence for a moment.

"I'm still really annoyed that you never told me about your shunpo, you understand that, right?"

Shunsui nodded.

"And you know why?"

He nodded again. "Because I know all your secrets and I didn't bother to tell you mine. But it really did just slip my mind."

"How could the fact that you know shunpo slip your mind?"

"Goes hand in hand with me not liking to talk about my family. It was the reason I ended was even asked to come to this academy instead of my aniki in the first place."

As they stood there, Shunsui told his friend how he had come to learn shunpo and how Yamamoto had found out.

"You know what gets me the most about all this?" Jyuushiro spoke again when Shunsui was done.

"What?"

"I'm not at all surprised that you know shunpo,"

"Why?" Shunsui frowned confusedly.

"Because you're Kyouraku Shunsui. Surprising people is what you do," Jyuushiro grinned brightly at his friend.

"Huh," Shunsui couldn't help but smile back. "I suppose if we're talking secrets, there's one more you should probably know."

"What's that?" Jyuushiro turned apprehensive.

"I think I've fallen in love with Inari Kimiko,"

The world quaked…

* * *

**A/N:** so maybe Jyuushiro is a little jealous and protective, so what? …review please?

*Jo-chan = loosely translates to 'little girl'. 'Jo' means 'assistant', 'daughter' and 'girl' among various other things.

*Mamorinuku kunseni nabikasu = Protect to the end and yet conquer.


End file.
